Timeless
by Marie Jacqueline
Summary: Dimitri is dragged back in time by a magic apple and left stranded in Syracuse where he is kidnapped by Sinbad. Now a member of Sinbad's not-so-savory crew, he is dragged off on wild adventures and may just lose his heart.
1. Chapter 1

The last of his things were packed in his locked suitcase. Dimitri took one last look around his hotel room to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. He shrugged on his coat and his cap, and left the room without another glance.

He walked out of the Hotel Britannique and onto the brightly lit street, his heart heavier than his pockets. The ticket back to Russia he had purchased had cost him most of his savings. His thoughts flitted briefly to the reward money the dowager empress had offered him yesterday. He knew he wouldn't accept it even now. Everything he had worked for to get to that reward seemed meaningless in the face of his new feelings.

Dimitri snorted, flicking some dust off his coat. When had he gotten so sentimental? Since you met that orphan-turned-princess, that's when, his inner voice said. Who would have thought that he would have the great fortune of actually finding the lost Grand Duchess Anastasia? He lost himself in the memories of his childhood as a kitchen boy. He had never really interacted with any members of the royal family, only stealing occasional glances during grand functions and dinners. He had saved her and her grandmother, he remembered that much. He had seen her little face so full of the fear he had shared during the attack on the palace. And now, ten years later, here they were: a kitchen boy-turned-conman and a lost princess, parting ways after he had rescued her yet again.

The distant sound of a steam engine snapped Dimitri back to the present. He had walked all the way to the train station immersed in his thoughts. He scanned the crowd for the shortest line at the ticket booth and walked to the closest one, setting his suitcase down. It was all for the best anyway, he thought to himself. He had nothing to do in Paris, so mother Russia was his only option. Vlad wasn't coming with him, not this time; the man was planning to stay in Paris with Sophie. The two of them were going to wed, and Dimitri couldn't begrudge him his happiness. They had said their fond farewells on the steps of the theatre, hoping that someday they would meet again, be it in Paris, Moscow or anywhere else in the world.

As for Anya—his heart plummeted further at the thought of her—she was happily reunited with her family now. He felt that he had somewhat atoned for lying to her. He had never felt bad for lying before, until she had slapped him at the theatre. It was at that moment that Dimitri knew he was no longer just a greedy conman. She had been more calm at their last encounter earlier today, but it didn't change the fact that there was still a large social gap between them that he could never cross. She was a princess and he was a penniless man. He had nothing better to offer her other than his silent goodwill, and so he had left.

The line moved forward a little so that there was only one person in front of Dimitri before he reached the booth. He dug into his coat pocket for his train ticket, but instead pulled out a blooming rose. It was the same one that Anya had pinned on him during their Parisian shopping spree. He inhaled its fresh scent and couldn't help but smile. The smell reminded him of their first dance together on the ship, how beautiful she had looked in her opera dress, how excited she had been to finally be in Paris. Despite everything she was the same Anya who had wandered into the old palace in rags, the same Anya who wasn't afraid to tell him off, the same Anya who had broken through his sarcastic facade and captured his heart.

"Monsieur! Monsieur!" The woman in front of him patted his shoulder, signaling that it was his turn at the ticket booth. Dimitri snapped back to the present, and in that moment made a quick decision. He picked up his suitcase and turned away, hurrying out of the station as fast as he could. If he had nothing to lose anyway, then he was determined to speak to her again, tell her how he really felt, and damn any social constraints that stood in their way.

He marched along a narrow street and out into a large square. Socialites wandered about, heading off for an evening of music and revelry or perhaps a party thrown by one of their fellow elites. Dimitri zig zagged around them, heedless of anyone in the crowd until a low voice called out to him, "Would you like an apple, monsieur?"

A woman dressed in drab skirts sat on a bench with a basket of apples next to her. She combed her fingers through her long black hair and leered at Dimitri. He glanced on either side of her; there were no other merchants around, and she didn't seem to be fancy enough to cater to the people who frequented this square. "Ah… No thank you, mademoiselle," he said, turning to leave but she called out to him again.

"But monsieur, I have an apple here that is meant for you!"

"I'm sorry but I'm in a hurry," he said without looking at her. He felt someone grab his arm and he turned to find the woman's hand clenched tightly around his forearm, her red eyes gleaming from the streetlight next to the bench.

"You should listen to me, monsieur. You don't want to upset the balance between order and chaos."

"Uh, that's not really my intention," he said. This woman had no idea how to subtly charm her customers, did she? He felt a stab of pity along with a compulsive need to consider her an amateur in his head. He tried to pull away, but the woman was surprisingly strong and kept her tight grip on his arm. "Can you let go now, please?" He really hoped he wouldn't have to call for the gendarmes.

"Take it," she whispered, pushing something into his hand. He looked down to see an old metal apple, copper perhaps. She wasn't even going to give him a real apple? Now he was convinced she was a loony.

She released his arm and he felt the blood rushing freely back into his hand, numbing it a bit. "Bonsoir!" she twittered, turning back to her basket.

Dimitri turned and muttered "whatever" before tossing the apple aside and hurrying down a dim street. He had no time to talk to crazy people, he had to get to Anya and change the course of his life. As he walked past, he instinctively plunged his hand into his coat pocket to search for the rose again, but instead felt something hard and cold. Frowning, he pulled it out only to see that it was a copper apple. Hadn't he thrown it away? Maybe the woman had slipped another one into his coat, though why she would do so was beyond him. He threw it away and kept on walking. This should be a shortcut to where the ball was taking place, and Dimitri smiled as he saw the opening to the palace garden. He was so close… until his foot rolled onto something and he almost fell over. Cursing, he looked down only to see another copper apple.

"Alright, what is going on?"Hhe bent down to pick it up. He turned it around in his hands, but could find nothing out of the ordinary. Well, not until it started to glow. Dimitri gaped at the apple. "What in the—?" It suddenly flashed so brilliantly that he shut his eyes with a grunt. When the blinding light subsided, he opened them again.

It was bright and sunny where he had been standing under moonlight only moments before. The quiet had been replaced by the hustle and bustle of yells and activity. Dimitri 'oomphed' when someone bumped into him, and he turned around to see a bulky shirtless man carrying a barrel tromp past him. His eyes darted this way and that, feeling increasingly ill at ease. This wasn't Paris at all.


	2. Chapter 2

Sinbad walked casually down the street, chewing on a pear that he'd swiped. It wasn't that he couldn't afford it, but occasionally he liked to prove that he still had the skill to steal something right out from under the nose of its owner. The couple of gold coins in his pocket jingled cheerfully and agreed with the sweet voice of money.

He'd made port in Syracuse along with what was left of his crew. They had departed from Basra about a month ago and ended up stranded on an island inhabited a black monster with red eyes. It had immediately set about devouring his crew, starting with Reis who had been the fattest. He had concocted a plan with his first mate Kale and they had stabbed the creature through its eyes with the skewer it had been cooking his hapless crew members over. They'd stolen the treasure that the monster had accumulated from other ships and returned, wealthier than ever. Now he just had to look for the right sort of fools who might be willing to join him…

"How was Proteus?" Asked Kale. His voice was deep enough that people often mistook it for thunder. The giant dark-skinned man sported an intimidating tattoo on his shoulder and gold hoops gleamed in his earlobes. Sinbad actually had a similar tattoo, since both of them had gotten one on a night of drunken revelry. His, however, didn't show when he took his shirt off.

"Oh, pff. Fine, as usual. Living up the royal life behind his gleaming walls of wealth and power." Was that a bar? That looked like a bar and he sure could go for a drink right now.

"Sinbad."

"What? Do you want me to tell you that he looked miserable?" He spun around dramatically with his hands outstretched. "This whole thing with Cairo looks like it's driving both him and his father crazy. He even asked if we could sneak out again, like when we were kids!" His arms dropped to his sides and he sighed irritably. "I'm normally the one who gets to ask that."

Proteus had looked worn out beyond belief. The city of Syracuse had always been deeply ingrained with politics concerning its neighbors, and right now the city was close to war over oceanic shipping routes. Pirates (such as himself) had rich picking from the numerous wrecks that now doted the coastlines, skeleton husks from sea battles fought over who belonged where. Now it looked like the usually-peaceful Syracuse would taste its first real combat if something wasn't done about it soon. Proteus and his father were working night and day along with the delegates from Cairo to come to some sort of agreement that left both sides satisfied, but so far nothing had come of it except headaches.

"Did you ask him if he wanted to come with us?" Kale's voice was always mild.

"Of course I did. He said that wasn't stupid nor was he suicidal. What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He stomped off again, walking right past the bar. The warm sun just pissed him off right now and he wished that he had some rocks to throw at the seagulls that circled overhead.

"Well, you are a bit hard on your crew, if you know what I mean."

"No Kale, I do NOT know what you mean. Only a couple got eaten this time, which was half the number that drowned when we got stranded on those rocks the time before that! And the water barrels having leaks in them the time before that was in no way my fault. So, looking at it like that, I'd say that we were improving!"

Kale gave him a look. "Is that what you're going to tell the new recruits you find?"

"No, how does this sound – See the world! Explore exotic lands; discover treasures beyond your wildest dreams! Join Sinbad and become the man that you always wanted to be! Pretty good, eh?" He threw in a charming grin, just for the added effect.

Kale rubbed his chin thoughtfully before nodding. "I'd join."

"There you go! Now all we have to do is find some suckers – I mean sailors willing to fall for it too. And they don't even have to be sailors." He started off with the spring back in his step while Kale trailed along behind him, perfecting his eye roll.

Up ahead there was the sound of shouting that quickly escalated into a brawl. "That sounds promising!" Sinbad and took off at a run, heading right for the sound of trouble like blood hound.


	3. Chapter 3

Dimitri's head swiveled around, trying to find some familiar location or landmark. There were no more old European houses, no more cobblestone streets. Everything looked… rather ancient. Stone houses, rickety streets, animal droppings… And the people, they were all dressed in very foreign garb, things he had only seen in the Mediterranean. And even then most had adopted modern Western clothing. Was he in a more remote area? Everyone was yelling amidst the braying and clucking of animals being led and carried about. He saw no cars, no lamplights… nothing really modern anywhere.

It was some form of black magic, wasn't it? That old woman in the marketplace had been a witch. Dimitri would have scoffed at the thought, but after having almost crashed on a train thanks to some creepy green demons, he didn't discard any wacky ideas. His heart suddenly leaped; what if this was done to keep him away from Anya? What if she wasn't safe? There had been a few attempts on her life during their travels; what if this was to keep him away and leave her vulnerable? Quickly, he glanced back down at the apple and shook it.

"Come on, come on! Do something!" He growled. The copper apple remained the same, now looking rather dull and rusted. He glanced up, his breath coming out in short little bursts as panic threatened to rise. He had been in sticky situations before, but this was something completely out of his league. And the thought of getting to Anya was his top priority right now… after he figured out where he was.

The hot sun was beating down on him and he had to shrug off his thick coat, folding it over his arm. He couldn't remember the last time he had been in a place this warm. He started down the street, trying to squeeze himself past the throng of people. Geez, they all smelled so strongly too. He glanced around to find a friendly face he could squeeze some information out of. But everyone seemed so occupied and rather frazzled.

"Hey, excuse me!" He called to a burly man carrying sacks. The man grunted and walked away. He turned to a traveling merchant. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Get lost, tourist!"

"Uh-huh…" If they were all going to be this friendly, it would be a piece of cake getting back to Paris. He gulped as he passed by a… was that brothel? The women were all exotic and dark-skinned, showing off more legs and cleavage than he had ever seen a woman do in Russia; to be fair, it was a bit too cold over there to do so. He ignored their seductive voices imploring him to come inside and walked straight into a fruit stand.

"Watch it boy!" The fruit seller berated him. She picked up the oranges he had caused to fall.

"Sorry, uh…" He wiped his sweaty palms on the front of his pants. "D'you… D'you think you could tell me where I am?"

She eyed him up and down, looking rather puzzled. "How far away are you from? Never seen clothes like that before."

He looked down at his clothes and then out at the other people. He realized just how badly he stuck out. "Ah, well… I'm trying to figure out just how far I am. So… So where am I?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "This is Syracuse," she said slowly, "Richest city this side of the world."

Dimitri blinked. So he was in the Mediterranean. Syracuse… Syracuse in Italy? He quickly rifled through his pockets. "If I pay you, um… If I pay you a few lira (He surely had some somewhere, he had swindled more than one currency in his lifetime) can you tell me how to get to the nearest port? I really need to get back to Paris!"

The old woman balked at him. "Lira? What's a lira? You pay me in tetradrachms, boy! This is a Greek city! And the port is closer than you think!"

He looked up, wide-eyed. "Greek? What? But… But…" He backed away in shock, until he bumped into something big and solid that grunted. He turned around, only to come face to face with the largest man he had ever seen. He was tall, dark-skinned and covered in scars on his bare chest. The man glared down at Dimitri, baring his yellow teeth.

"Watch where you're going, boy," he said in a gruff, dangerous voice.

Dimitri held up placating hands. "I'm sorry sir, it was an accident. I'll just be on my way now."

The man grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him so close he could smell his putrid alcoholic breath. "Not so fast, boy," he hissed, "Some of us don't take so kindly to obnoxious foreigners around here."

"What about really lost, really sorry foreigners?" Dimitri struggled against his grip, but the man was impossibly strong. His heart sank; how had he gotten into the biggest mess of his life? And this wasn't even through his own doing this time.

The man swung his free arm to punch him, but thankfully Dimitri still had his reflexes and he dodged his neck to the left, avoiding the blow which instead hit a passing guard. He turned around to see the irate guard pulling out his sword, and all of a sudden he was dropped onto the ground as the two men began to brawl. He scrambled away, but froze as the guard's sword went flying towards him. He ducked just in time as it ripped a passing woman's dress. She screamed so shrilly he had to cover his ears and was knocked aside as her furious husband jumped into the fray.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" He muttered as he tried to get away from the increasingly violent fight. There was a crowd gathered to watch now, so he couldn't even squeeze past. And then the burly man he had bumped into somehow snagged the back of his vest and pulled him towards the fight. "Nononononono!" He fought to get away, but unfortunately, physique was not Dimitri's strong point. He was in trouble now.


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kale called after him as he bolted down the street, looking for the source of the commotion.

"Of course I'm sure! How could this be a bad idea?" He shouted back, holding onto his hat as he spun around a tight corner. It looked like a fruit stall had been knocked over, because there were pears and melons all over the street. The brawlers didn't seem to mind though. Women screamed and ran as the dock workers did their best to beat each other senseless. It looked like his sort of place.

"Save some for me!" Sinbad shouted before he dove right into the fray, Kale half a step behind him. The big African man had hands like hams and used them to great effect, smashing heads together and dropping hardened sailors with heavy swings. Sinbad preferred quicker tactics, since he didn't have the size or the brute strength of his companion. They had fought together so often that they had developed a 'divide and conquer' tactic – Kale would plow directly in from the front while Sinbad went in from above.

He climbed up one of the stalls that faced the brawl and stopped when he reached the canvas top, looking over the fight. He couldn't tell exactly what had started it, but there were calls of 'filthy tourist' being tossed about, so he figured that may have something to do with it.

"That's not hospitable at all, gentlemen!" He called, propping his hands on his hips. "Let's show those tourists some real Syracuse hospitalit – whoa!" He dodged a melon that had been thrown at him. "Don't make me come down there!" He pushed his hat forward on his head and scowled at the riot going down underneath him.

"Sinbad … " Kale looked up at him from the middle of the fight and raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." He did a backflip off of the canvas roof of the stall and landed on the man head, delivering a swift kick to his jaw that made him drop like a stone. From there he jumped onto another man's shoulders and looked around to see if he could find the center of the fray. That would probably be where the source of the commotion was, and he always wanted to be right where the trouble was.

The man tried to hit him with a piece of wood from a damaged stall, but he jumped over it and the man ended up hitting himself in the face with it.

"Your nose looks better that way!" Sinbad called as he took off again, grabbing onto a clothesline to zip down and land on another pair of shoulders. He clapped his hands over their ears and then dove to ground when they roared with pain. A swift look around told him that he was getting close, so he took off at a run, dodging around legs, until a body slammed into him from the side and sent him sprawling.

"Hey watch it; I'm trying to fight here!" He rolled to his feet with as much grace as he could and dodged a punch, returning it with an elbow to the gut that sent the guard tumbling back into another man. A guy in an outlandish vest was crumpled at his feet, looking like he'd been used as a punching bag and then been thrown like a gutted fish. This was probably the tourist that they had been shouting about.

"Get up or you'll get trampled!" He grabbed the guy by the back of his vest and hauled him to his feet. It was true. The brawl had turned into an all-out fight, and he could already hear people shouting for the guards. Pretty soon there was going to be blood, and as much as he enjoyed a good fist-fight, he also knew when retreat was in order. He slung the man's arm over his shoulder and started to drag him out.

"Kale, get over here!" He shouted, and it only took a minute for his friend to smash his way through the crowd. "Here, take this." He dumped the dazed man off onto Kale.

"Who is this?" Kale slung him over his shoulder like a bag of rice.

Sinbad shrugged and then kicked a man who was coming at Kale back with a knife. "I don't know - some foreigner. But we'll take him anyway."

"Kidnapping, Sinbad?"

"What are you, my conscience? Just get him out of here."

Kale rolled his eyes and started back the way he'd come from, the foreigner hanging over his shoulder. Sinbad turned back and looked at the fight before cracking his knuckles.

"Now, who wants to have their asses kicked before the guards show up? Step right up, gentlemen." Then he went to work.


	5. Chapter 5

Dimitri struggled against the much larger man's grip, but was promptly dropped as the man took a kick to the head from an unknown assailant. He struggled to his feet; all around him, the brawl turned into an all-out riot as more and more people were dragged into the fray. He jumped over a rolling melon as the contents of the fruit stand spilled out. The vendor shook her fist at the entire group, but Dimitri was certain her murderous intent was mostly directed at him. His eyes darted around, trying to find a narrow escape route he could squeeze through.

"This is worse than that one protest in Moscow," he muttered to himself. A man holding a ridiculously large trout swung at his head and he managed to duck just in time. "Geez! What is with you Mediterranean people!"

He finally spotted a less violent spot he could squeeze through and hopefully escape the mess. He made a run for it, but suddenly felt a crushing blow on the back of his head. He toppled face forward and met the cobblestone with a painful crunch. He groaned as his head spun wildly, and the last thing he heard was a vague male voice crying, "Hey, get up or you'll get trampled!" before he lost consciousness.

It was hearing that he first regained. The calm rolling of waters and the cry of seagulls were what roused Dimitri. He groaned and rolled over, his brows furrowing. He was lying on something hard and uncomfortable, and that awareness was now waking him up further. He finally deigned to blink a few times, adjusting his eyes to light once more. He sat up but was immediately assaulted by a thudding ache in the back of his head as well as dizziness. He slumped back with a groan.

"This is not good," he muttered, an arm slung over his eyes. His memory slowly returned to him; he recalled the fight. Before that, there had been an argument… Before that, he had been in Paris. The apple… Anya. ANYA! His eyes snapped open and he sat back up so abruptly his head swam even more. He ignored the fogginess of his brain and struggled to get up. He had to get back to Anya immediately.

He was still not aware of his surroundings until he stumbled forward and fell against the side of the ship. He blinked. Wait a minute… ship? He turned around and looked down. Sparkling blue waves rolled and crashed against the side of whatever boat he was on. He frantically looked up; he was on some sort of primitive ship. He finally got a good look at the crew; they were all very different in size, skin colour and age, but all of them were loud and rowdy. He felt cold sweat break onto his forehead. "This cannot be happening," he told himself, "I'm dreaming. This is all just some crazy dream. I'm going to wake up in that damn square in Paris with a bruise on my forehead because I tripped off that crazy woman's stupid apple…"

Somehow, that didn't make him feel better.

He made his unsteady way between the crew, ducking when one swung a large plank over his shoulder and hurrying away. "Hey, uh… 'scuze me." He attempted to pat one on the shoulder but the man was old and frail and didn't seem to be able to hear him. "Hi. Could you just… " He broke away when the old man started yelling, "SIRENS! I HEAR THEM IN MY EARS!" And ran off. Crestfallen, Dimitri turned around and nearly fell back as he was met face to face with an upside-down ratty man, dangling from a rope tied to the mast. "Aaaah, the stranger, he awakes!" He cupped his mouth and hollered, "CAPTAAAAIN!"

"I'm busy!" Shouted Sinbad from the crow's nest. He very clearly wasn't. His boots could be seen over the edge of the wooden platform and it looked like he was playing with a spyglass. "Very busy! Make somebody else handle whatever it is. Unless it's the Navy again." His head appeared over the edge as he sat up. "Is it the Navy?"

"No, Captain! It is the new crewman we picked up!" Dimitri turned to see who this supposed captain was but couldn't really make him out from his position. "New crewman? Wait a minute—" He turned back to the ratty man who had suddenly vanished. Blinking away his perplexion, he turned to make a beeline for the captain and hopefully get out of this mess.

"Oh, sleeping beauty finally awakens!" He grabbed a rope and swung down, landing lightly on the deck behind Dimitri. "I was starting to think that maybe you'd been hit too hard in the head. How many fingers am I holding up?" He held up four.

He was still striding towards the voice when the red blurry figure swooped up and he heard a thump behind him. This seemed to be a running mode of transportation on this ship. He whirled around and finally got a good look at said captain. Few inches shorter than him, tan skin, dark hair and eyes, quite typically Mediterrannean, beard. Smug look. Yep, continental man all around. He ignored the captain's fingers and wearily rubbed his forehead. "Look, I need to know where you're going and how easily you can drop me off at the nearest train station. This has been a long day… night, I'm so sure it was night… And I'd rather not waste any more time."

"A what station?" Oh, dang. This was why Europeans shouldn't fight. He sighed and his shoulders slumped. He turned to his crew, all of whom were watching with interest, and shouted, "He's addled!"

The entire crew went "Awww."

"What? I am not _addled_!" He furiously rubbed the back of his head which throbbed in his indignance. "What, are you from such a backwater area of the Carpathians you haven't heard of steam technology yet? Figures." He threw his hands up and glared down at the water. "Getting me as far away from civilization as possible so I can't get to Anya. Someone's clever."

"I've been accused of being clever once in a while. Alright, maybe more than once in a while." He leaned against teh railing. "Because I am indeed very very clever." He gestured to the ship. "But look! Now you're a part of something bigger than yourself. You should be thanking me."

"Thanking you! I don't even know where the hell I am!" He ran to the railing and looked back to see the tiny dot that was now the dock of Syracuse. On the other side, the sunset cast a brilliant orange glow over the waters, and if Dimitri weren't panicking, he might have enjoyed it. "Hey, you! Captain or whoever you are! You need to turn this ship back around and drop me off on land."

"No can do. We're miles away by now and the tide is all wrong." That was actually a complete lie, the currents around Syracuse made it child's play to get in and out of the harbor. But he wasn't about to admit that and lose a crew member that he had just gained. "Besides," he suddenly had a flash of genius. "You're a wanted man in Syracuse now, thanks to that little brawl you started."

"Wanted? Are you serious?" He groaned. "Not enough that I'm wanted in my own country, I'm wanted overseas now too?" He slumped against the railing, suddenly drained of all energy and feeling older than his mere 22 years. "What am I going to do? He muttered to himself. How could everything have derailed so badly in such a short amount of time?

"Well, since I did save your life you could work on paying back the favor." Sinbad tucked his hands behind his back and sauntered partway across the deck, jumping over a barrel as it went rolling by. "I suppose you wouldn't be interested in going after adventure or fame. And the wealth is nothing to scoff at either. But I'm sure we can turn the ship around eventually and get you back to Syracuse."

"What? Hey, wait!" He picked himself up and followed after the captain, barely managing to stand upright as he tripped over the barrel. He fumbled a bit and stood up straight again, hurrying to the man's side. "Isn't what you're doing technically kidnapping? I never signed up for this!"


	6. Chapter 6

Who did this guy think he was? Nobody talked to Sinbad that way, unless it was in a fight. He'd already had one of those today and had a nice bruise across his ribs from a well-aimed kick to prove it. He didn't want to tussle with his new 'crew', though he wouldn't hesitate to make an example out of the guy if he proved to be more trouble than he was worth. Or toss him straight overboard.

Kale must have seen where his train of thought was going because he shook his head slightly.

"Fine," he muttered under his breath. If the guy didn't shape up he would drop him off the next time they made port and wash his hands of him. An unhappy crew always seemed to spell trouble for the captain, and this guy was nothing if not trouble. He was clearly a foreigner, in outlandish clothes that were completely ridiculous for the climate. He was taller than Sinbad, and it looked like he'd had his nose broken a couple of times. He was also lanky and clearly didn't have anything resembling sea legs. But his eyes were fiery as he shouted and that showed that he had courage. For a sailor, that was key.

Sinbad took a deep breath and steadied himself. "Look, I'll make you a deal," he said, trying to keep his cool.

Dimitri cocked an eyebrow at him. "Wait, you're making deals now? You can't expect me to shake hands with a guy whose name I don't even know."

Sinbad almost tossed him overboard right then and there, but instead he lifted up his hat and smoothed back his hair. "Sinbad. Captain, to you." He looked at their surroundings casually. Ship, crew, and oh yeah, a whole lot of ocean. "And I don't think you seem to have much choice in the matter." He couldn't help sounding cheerful about that.

"Sinbad?" The name sounded vaguely familiar, but hell if Dimitri could remember where from. He had much more pressing issues right now. He crossed his arms and glared at him. "Alright, Sinbad. What makes you think I'll strike a deal with you? I don't have any money (that was a lie) or anything valuable on me."

"Oh come on, give me a little credit. I don't steal from my own crew." He reached into a barrel next to him and pulled out a golden pear, tossing it from hand to hand. "I'm just proposing a little bargain until we can drop you off. Make things easier for both of us." He bit into the pear, watching him like a hawk.

"Did you—Did you just call me your 'crew'?" Dimitri looked around him at the men in various states of hygiene. Almost all of them could probably snap him in half... Well, except maybe for the crazy old coot who heard siren voices and the little ratty one who swung from the mast. Then he heard the second half of Sinbad's speech and narrowed his eyes. He was no stranger to bargains, but usually he was the one making them. This put him in an uncomfortable position. "If I agree to this deal, you promise to drop me off at the nearest port? Preferably on the European side of the world?"

He thought about that for a minute as he chewed. "I can drop you off in Constantinople, since that's our next stop. What you do from there will be completely on you." Unless he chose to stay on - a pirate's life was an addicting one, and Sinbad knew that very well. "That work for you?" He was used to the initial bargaining with new crew members, but doing it at sea was something new. Normally they walked on and off of their own accord.

"Constant—Wait, you mean like... Istanbul?" Was he really that far away from Western Europe? Dimitri groaned and pressed his palm to his forehead. "This is just... perfect." If he ever met that "apple seller" again the moment he got back to Paris, he was going to... do something drastic.

Sinbad leaned over closer to Kale. "Have you heard of Instanbul?"

"Never," confirmed Kale. "Maybe they call it something else where he's from."

"You might be right." He turned back to Dimitri. "So, unless you want to swim back to Syracuse and be arrested if you make it, I suggest you consider yourself a temporary crew member and look forward to Constantinople."

"Yippee," he muttered, glaring out at the sea, "So what, are you a traditionalist? You like these old-timey boats better than modern ships?"

"Old-timey? Watch what you're calling old-timey bub, this is the fastest ship in the entire Mediterranean!" Sinbad threw what was left of his pear at him.

The pear hit Dimitri in the chest but he just scoffed. "Really? Believe me, I know technology seems to advance much faster the further West you go, but even Turkey has steam-powered ships now."

"Steam powered ships?" Asked Kale skeptically. "Sinbad, are you sure he didn't get kicked in the head?"

"You know, I'm starting to wonder that myself." Sinbad circled Dimitri as if checking to see if he was bleeding from a head wound.

"I'm fine!" Dimitri snapped, even as a hand reached to rub the back of his head subconsciously. He drew it away and it came back clean. "Maybe you're just from a really back-water part of Eurasia or something, but I mean geez. Even Russia has a train that crosses Siberia now."

The two men glanced at each other and even the rest of the crew had gotten a bit quiet.

Kale leaned closer to Sinbad. "Jed thinks that clams want to kill him in his sleep."

Sinbad nodded and pushed him away. "And Rat thinks that the world is round, I know I know." He straightened. "Whatever you think, you're part of the crew now. Welcome aboard."

He really was stuck in this, Dimitri thought ruefully. What else could he do, out on open sea? He sighed and passed a hand over his weary face. "Great. Excellent. Happy to, uh... to sail." The hell, he didn't know the first thing about sailing. "Oh. Yeah, I'm Dimitri, by the way."

"Good to have you, Dimitri." Sinbad held out his hand and the two men shook, sealing the silent agreement.


	7. Chapter 7

A few hours ago, Dimitri was walking through the brightly lit streets of Paris, bent on finding the woman he loved and telling her how he felt. Now he was swaying on an old hammock, surrounded by a dozen snoring pirates, in a moldy old ship led by a captain with a superiority complex and a sassy mouth. How he got from point A to point B was beyond him... He pulled out the dull metal apple from his vest pocket, looking it over. The damn thing had gotten him into this mess, but it was making no effort to pull him out of it. Scowling, he slid the apple back into his vest pocket. Rather than tossing it aside like he really wanted to do, he decided to keep it close in case it did start glowing again. Another wave rocked the ship and he groaned as his stomach protested. Small motions he could handle, but this damn ship was just so easily swayed by the water that he thought he would lose his dinner all over the floor.

He closed his eyes and fought the rising tide of nausea. If all nights were going to be like this, he would get absolutely no sleep. The crazy old coot that slept above him also snored up a storm, and it was a long time before Dimitri actually fell into a fitful rest.

"Up and at it!" Dimitri was suddenly dropped to the hard wood floor as Sinbad spun his hammock upside down to eject him from it. Sunlight spilled through the port holes and the rest of the crew was already gone.

"MOTHER OF GAAAAAH!" One moment he had been slumbering peacefully and the next his back collided with hard wood and he sat bolt upright, eyes now wide and glaring at Sinbad. "What is WRONG with you!"

Sinbad looked over his shoulder as if looking for who he might be talking to, but looked back when he found nobody else in the room. Today he was dressed in baggy tan pants and a black shirt with a blue sash wrapped around his waist. "Well I hope you didn't plan to sleep through the whole day. This isn't exactly a pleasure cruise I'm running."

"Could you give a gentler wakeup call at least?" All sleep had been knocked out of him now and he stood up, stretching his arms. "Uuughh... What time is it?" He rubbed at his face.

"Some time after dawn and before dusk. And you missed breakfast, by the way." Sinbad spun on his heel and whistled a jaunty tune as he jogged up the stairs that lead to the deck.

"Yeah? I'm guessing it's not a complimentary continental breakfast, is it?" He followed at a groggier pace up the stairs. The cool sea wind whipped at his face and killed any remnants of sleepiness that remained.

"Which continent?"

The crew was already hard at work above deck, controlling the brilliantly red sails or talking in small groups. A couple of the larger ones were moving barrels. Dimitri stopped and stared at all of the work already being done everywhere on the ship. While he didn't lie about in bed until noon, he wasn't used to being up at the same time as the sunrise. He watched the hustle and bustle, so effective and habitual, and despite himself, he was impressed at how Sinbad ran a tight ship. The captain himself was already all of the way across the deck and up by the wheel, talking with Kale and Rat, who hung upside down by a rope wrapped around his ankles.

He cautiously weaved his way between the bustle, unsure of what exactly he was supposed to do. His stomach grumbled as he walked; maybe acquiring breakfast would be nice. He sidled next to an Oriental man and cleared his throat. "Ah, pardon me. I'm the new guy. I was wondering if there was still breakfast lying around somewhere?"

The man looked at him and then elbowed his companion, who also looked up. Twins, Dimitri noticed. "Hey Jin, new guy asked for breakfast first thing! Not for list of chores!" The man he had spoken to said to his brother. The other sighed and flicked a gold coin at him.

"How d'you do that, Li? You haven't even talked to him yet."

"He wasn't at breakfast! I know these things!"

"Okay!" Dimitri interrupted, "Guys! Hi? Breakfast? Anything?"

"There's pickles, eggs, and more pickles!" Li ticked off three of his fingers.

"And that's it?"

"Pretty much!" Jin nodded. "Down in the cellar that way."

Well this was off to a promising start. Dimitri turned around and stalked down to find some pickles and eggs. And oh, did he find them. The moment he opened up a few barrel lids the smell assaulted his nostrils. His cheeks swelled as he fought down a gag and threw open the cellar door for some fresh air. "Pirate's life is a wonderful life my foot," he choked. He turned back after holding his breath and picked out a few pickles, a couple of eggs and ate them outside. They were tasty enough; he wasn't one to complain about food.

Further away, Jin and Li sniggered along with a few others. "I can't believe he fell for that," one of them whispered. The bread and cheese was in another storage room of the ship.

Heedless of the laughter, Dimitri finished his breakfast. He was crunching on his last pickle when he eyed the crazy old man from before, expertly tying knots. "So, how long have you been on this ship?" he asked conversationally. The old man just stared at him bug-eyed. He didn't speak. Dimitri blinked. The awkwardness was getting so great he was about to sidle away when all of a sudden, the old man burst out, "GIANT PEARLS ON THE HORIZON!" And ran away flailing. The rest of the crew either laughed or paid no heed, clearly used to his outbursts. But Dimitri just started a bit and watched him run away.

"Hey! I don't pay you to stand around!" Shouted Sinbad from up top. The crew dispersed, all of them breaking up and going about their individual duties. A couple vanished below deck. "And you, new guy! Up here. Now." He gestured at Dimitri, apparently done talking with Kale and Rat.

He tore his gaze away from the ship's resident ranting loony and scowled at Sinbad. He deliberately kept his pace slow and it took him about a minute to get to where he was at. "Gentle wake-up calls and being "new guy"? You're a real charmer."

Sinbad didn't look amused. In fact, he seemed a bit irritated now, the cheerfulness from earlier completely gone. He scowled at Dimitri. "My crew is up at dawn and pulls their own weight. Starting today, so do you." Kale coughed behind his hand and turned so that he could watch the deck instead of the impending explosion.

"I have an idea, why don't we make another deal?" He flicked a piece of lint off his watch. "How about you start calling me by my actual name and I won't call you out on your less-than-stellar accommodations."

Sinbad pretended to consider it. "How about I call you whatever I want and you don't back talk me or I'll give you the night watch?"

"I just don't want to be talked down to by someone who doesn't even know what a steam engine is!" he snapped.

Sinbad looked at him coldly. "I don't care if you want to back talk me to my face, but you will never do it in front of my crew. Now are you going to do your work or not?"

"What do you want me to do, Captain?" he said derisively, throwing his arms up at his sides.

"Well seeing as you're our new cabin boy, you'll be getting very intimate with our cleaning supplies. Mops and buckets are in the storage room off of the men's sleeping quarters." Maybe some manual labor would take the guy down a peg. Kale had his hands on his hips and was keeping an eye on their heading.

"Janitor duty, of course." He turned away and stalked off so he wouldn't have to talk to the jerk anymore.

"Sinbad, what are you up to?" Asked Kale once Dimitri had stalked off.

"Me? Do I look like I'm up to something?" Sinbad looked at his first mate incredulously.

Kale gave him the look that said that he wasn't fooling anybody.

"Fine," Sinbad tossed his hands into the air. "I don't need women on my ship and I need complainers even less. If he gets worked into a stupor, he won't have the energy to complain."

The first mate gave a begrudging nod. "And then we'll let him go in Constantinople?"

"That's the plan!" If Sinbad didn't kill him first.


	8. Chapter 8

Three days later, the sky was filled with puffy white clouds and the sea was calm. Most of the crew was sprawled out on the deck, playing cards or telling rude stories that involved swords and a multitude of scantily-clad women. A couple were mending holes in their clothes or playing dice. Sinbad was up in the crow's nest again, with his feet propped up on the lip and a map covering his legs. Once in a while one of the crew would shout up to him and would get told to piss off.

He walked his fingers across the map, tracing the narrow canal that they would need to navigate in order to reach Constantinople. It was tricky, since sea traffic in the area had sent hundreds of ships to the bottom. But he had done it before and he would do it again, if for no other reason than to get rid of that damn cabin boy. Sinbad was tempted to let Rat hang him upside down by his ankles for a couple of hours, just to see if some of his attitude dripped out of his ears. Of course, he couldn't say too much because he knew that his own temper rivaled it. But he was the Captain by all that was holy, not the damn cabin boy! He kicked the edge of the crow's nest and only succeeded in giving himself a sore foot.

Kale looked up from behind the wheel, which he was leaning on. There wasn't any sort of bad weather or obstacles to be seen, so most of the crew was catching up on their personal chores or enjoying the down time. Except for the cabin boy, that is. Dimitri was currently engaged in swabbing down the deck for the third time in as many days. Kale felt a pang of sympathy for the newest crew member. He'd been given all of the lowest jobs by Sinbad, including cleaning crew quarters and helping their cook clean up after every meal. He was surprised that he found the time to sleep. Sinbad managed to tip him out of his bunk every morning, which wasn't a wakeup call that Kale would wish on anybody.

This was the most tedious job Dimitri had ever had (counting all of his legal employments, that would make a total of two). Sure, he'd been a kitchen boy and had done dishes before, but they were also dishes from royalty and the leftovers made delicious meals. Here, he was cleaning up after dirty, sloppy pirates—he had no doubt now that this was a pirate ship, and he was frankly amazed that he was still alive.

He supposed Sinbad wasn't an evil man, per se. Just a really, really big asshole.

"Hey, Dimitri! Captain said you have to reswab the front deck!" Jin called out.

Dimitri gaped. "I mopped it three times already!" he gestured at the still drying area with his mop.

"Hey, Captain's orders." Jin disappeared below deck after that.

Dimitri swore under his breath and began mopping with furious intensity. He imagined Sinbad's cocky smirk outlined on the wooden floor and viciously slapped at it with the mop. This was like working for the Tsar all over again, except this time, he was the servant to people who were probably of a lower class than he was. It was a humiliating thought, but he persevered if only because it was the only way he'd get out of here in one piece.

His thoughts flitted briefly to Anya and his heart clenched just as his fist did over the mop handle. The things he did for that brat… He shook his head.

"You need to scrub harder," a raspy voice said behind him.

Dimitri turned around to see the crazy old coot whose name he learned was Jed giving his mop the lazy eye.

"Why, you want me to burn a hole into the deck?"

"NO, FOOLISH BOY!" He grabbed Dimitri's chin and pressed their noses together. "So you can get rid of the ghosts of clams who haunt this ship! They come for revenge!"

Dimitri shoved him away. "Thanks for the advice Jed, but I think spiritual mollusks aren't high on my list of dangers."

Kale took sympathy on him. "Jed, I think we left the clams in Syracuse." He shouted down from behind the wheel. Then he gestured at Dimitri. "You missed a spot up here."

He grabbed his bucket and strode up to the deck. "Thanks," he said to Kale before dropping the bucket next to him and beginning to mop, albeit a lot less violently. "You might want to look into getting your prospective crewmen to take sanity tests before you let them on board."

"Jed? He's harmless and usually pretty entertaining. Besides, he's one of the best blade men aboard and he isn't afraid of heights. Both are good in this line of work." He left the wheel alone and walked over to a long table covered in maps. Somebody had used a couple of knives to pin them open. Up above them, Sinbad had started to whistle.

He followed behind Kale, still holding the mop but not really doing any more work. He had swabbed this ship three times over; his hands were starting to form calluses and he didn't think anyone would notice. "So, where exactly are we?" he asked, peering over Kale's large shoulder.

"Well, we left Syracuse three days ago, and we've been traveling north and east with the current, so that would put us about here." Kale tapped a spot on the map in what might have been the Aegean. "We'll be able to confirm that with star positions tonight." The map he was looking over was made of ta thick parchment and had ornate edges and serpents doodled in the middles of the oceans. A couple of continents were missing and there was a waterfall drawn at the edges of all of the oceans.

Dimitri stared at the map, then back at Kale, then back at the map. "You're telling me we're sailing using a map from... what is this, three thousand years old?" He gestured to the serpents. "They still have sea monsters on this thing."

Kale straightened and looked down at him. "Dimitri, this map is new. We bought it in Syracuse the same day we picked you up." He pointed at one of the serpents. "And those are there because that's a known hunting ground for the kraken. Sailors take their lives into their hands every time they pass through." He said darkly, looking at the tiny inked monster.

"... You're kidding right?" He looked back down at the map. He could only vaguely make out some of the names: Syracuse, Constantinople, Babylon... Wait, Babylon? He frowned, his mind spinning to form answers. Had he gone back in t... no, that was ridiculous. His hand plunged into his vest to pull out the apple. It was a ludicrous thought, but then again, he had just been transported many miles away thanks to a magic copper apple. "Kale," he said slowly, dreading what the answer might be, "What... year is it?"

"Hm?" Kale looked back up from the map, where he had been plotting their route with a little metal tool. "Did you miss the New Year? It's 792." He went back to his work.

"You're not serious." Dimitri looked Kale square in the eye. He hadn't been on this boat for very long, but he already knew that the man was no prankster. "Oh God, you are serious." His hands began to tremble and he slammed them on the table to steady himself. His eyes frantically roamed over the map to find one familiar modern place. He landed on the large mass that was Russia, which was unnamed. His breath hitched; he looked over to France and just saw a big chunk of Europe and Africa labeled as the Roman Empire. In a frenzy, he turned to Kale. "This is a joke, right? This is the twentieth century right? You know about locomotives? Automobiles? Watches? AN AEROPLANE!"

Kale just looked at him and then reached over to feel his forehead. "Sinbad!" He called up. The whistling stopped and Sinbad's head appeared over the edge of the crow's nest. "I think you're working the cabin boy too hard, he's getting heat stroke."

"So what?" Sinbad called back. "It's not like we're keeping him. And Li just spilled pickle juice all over the deck, so it needs to be swabbed again." He disappeared again.

"This is crazy!" Dimitri muttered to himself feverishly, "This is completely insane. Wait, what am I saying? I was transported to the other side of the continent by an apple!" He started pacing the deck, his hands running frantically through his hair, "I've gone back in time. No, I can't have. This is all just some stupid dream and I'll wake up in the middle of a Parisian street, knocked out from tripping on that stupid apple." He stopped his pacing and sagged against the railing, burying his face in his hands. His entire being was in complete shock, and only his ramblings kept him from totally losing it.

"A Persian street? Sinbad's actually from Persia. Nice place," said Kale idly as he walked back over to the ship's wheel and adjusted their course slightly.

"Not Persian, Parisi—you know what, forget it." He turned around and hit his head against the wall. "This is not happening... This can't be happening..."

Kale watched the cabin boy do his best to give himself brain damage. He glanced up and saw Sinbad leaning over the crow's nest, doing the same thing.

"Is he broken?" Asked Sinbad.

Kale looked back down at Dimitri, who looked about as distraught as Rat had when his pants had gotten caught on a fish hook last month.

"I think he's just a little bit confused."

Sinbad nodded and stopped looking concerned. "Confused we can handle. If he was mad I would have to dump him overboard. I heard it was catching you know. Madness." He went back to his own map.

Kale sighed. He wasn't so sure that Dimitri wasn't mad, but he would give him the benefit of the doubt. At least for the moment.


	9. Chapter 9

"Look, this is going to sound crazy," he said, turning to Kale, "But this..." He popped the copper apple in front of him, "Is responsible for everything. I don't belong here, I come from the... well, the future," he finished, realizing how odd that sounded. "Some woman used her black magic on me and now I'm here, in ancient Greece, on a pirate ship and I don't even know why I'm telling you this, but I have to have someone understand because... this is just crazy!" He pressed the tips of his fingers to his forehead. He could hear his blood pounding in his ears. "But I'm not crazy, I'm not..."

Sinbad swung down from the crow's nest and landed with the map rolled up under his arm. He had his red sash back on today and his soft books were almost soundless on the deck. "It's a good thing you aren't crazy, because then I'd have to toss you overboard." He flipped the map to Kale who caught and unrolled it over the top of the one he'd been looking at with Dimitri. "I may have a superstitious crew," he ignored Jed, who was shouting about sirens in the background, "but I refuse to carry madmen on my ship."

"Mad!" He rounded on Sinbad, all of his fear and turmoil exploding out of him. "I'm not mad; I know who I am and where I'm from! You people believe in gods and sea monsters, and you're calling me mad!" He threw his mop on the ground and started flailing his arms wildly. "It's a curse, or a spell or something! I don't know why this happened to me or even how to get back home!"

Sinbad tipped his little hat back with his thumb, watching his cabin boy rant. "Magic spells, huh. I think I'll be happy to drop you off in Constantinople. You'll be out of my hair and my crew's hair. But not Kale's, he doesn't have any."

Kale rubbed his clean-shaven head.

"Forget it." He threw the mop away and stormed below deck, in desperate need for some time alone to sort out his thoughts. Naturally, he wasn't very successful, seeing as how he really didn't know how to get out of his mess. He sat on his hammock and dropped his head in his hands. He was terrified yes, but he was also extremely pissed off at Sinbad. He was going through a crisis here and the guy was treating him like he was just a loon. Dimitri snorted; he had no time to pick fights. He needed to figure out what to do.

For the next few days, Dimitri began to stew over his new predicament. He was still half hoping this was some crazy delusion. He couldn't count the number of times he had picked up the apple, hit it, thrown it against a wall, muttered to it. He was desperate to get it to do anything to take him back to his time again. A cold feeling of dread spread through him at the thought that he might be stuck here. And if he was, what good would it do him to be dumped at a port in Constantinople? He would still be a man from the future, completely lost in this ancient world.

Most of the crew seemed to regard him warily as he seemed to be having a nervous breakdown (which wasn't far from the truth). But after a while, Dimitri found that he was much too exhausted from all of the swabbing, dish-cleaning and other dirty jobs Sinbad had been forcing on him that he could only grow somewhat numb over his fate. The only hope that kept him going was the minute possibility that he would somehow, SOMEHOW, get out of this. He would go back to his time and find Anya and all would be well.

At least, that's what he told himself as he mechanically scrubbed the railings of the ship. A droplet of water fell on his nose and he wiped it off, looking up. The sky was grey with ominous clouds rolling in; he could hear the wind picking up.

"The gods be angry today," Jed muttered behind him.

"Or it could just be nature doing its thing," he replied sardonically.

Up behind the wheel, Kale started to roll up the maps while Sinbad stood at the back of the ship, watching the approaching storm. The thick of it still lay in the distance behind them, but lightning flashed inside of it and rolls of thunder could already be heard.

"We'll try to outrun it," said Sinbad quietly.

Kale walked over to stand next to him. "Do you think we can make it?"

Sinbad gave him a cocky grin. "No, but we'll sure as hell make it work to catch us!" He strode back up to the wheel. "Batten down the hatches!" He shouted at the crew, who immediately sprang into action. "Secure the tarpaulins! Full sails, men! We're going to give this bitch a real race."

All around him, men began to work at readying the ship. Dimitri scanned the horizon and the oncoming storm. He could see lightning in the distance and the deep rumble of thunder promised nothing good. He spun around, not knowing what to do as everyone else was busy.

"Cabin boy! What are you doing?" Shouted Sinbad, who had caught him standing still while all of those around him were in motion.

"I'm not cleaning the deck since it's going to be raining soon!" he shot back, that familiar pinprick of annoyance cropping up whenever Sinbad talked to him.

"Go help Rat in the rigging!" He called before turning back to Kale. If the idiot fell and cracked his head, he'd have one less thing to worry about.

Rat looked down from on top of one of the masts, where he was unrolling the sail with quick and nimble fingers. He pointed wordlessly at the shrouds.

He sighed in exasperation and turned to where Rat was pointing. He made his way unsteadily towards the shrouds. The waves had picked up and were rocking the boat. Dimitri, having no sea legs, stumbled forward and fell onto his knees. He picked up one of the ropes and then looked back up at Rat. Drops were falling harder now and he had to blink back some of the water. "What do I do with these?" He shouted up.

"Toss them up!" Shouted back Rat, waiting until a peal of thunder had passed in order to be heard. Jet and Li were busy moving crates and barrels down into the storage, while Jed has disappeared altogether. Kale had climbed up another mast and was helping to unroll to sails.

The ship sprang into motion as the wall of air from the storm caught the sails. They leapt across the waves, going faster than they had since they left Syracuse. But it wasn't fast enough. The storm reached out with gray fingers, darkening the sky.

Dimitri looked down at the ropes, perplexed. Another wave rocked the ship and his knees buckled. He swore under his breath and steadied himself. This reminded him of a similar night, when he, Vlad and Anya had sailed together. The storm that night had almost knocked her overboard. It wasn't a very pleasant memory, and he pushed it to the back of his mind as he did all thoughts of Anya lest he feel despair weighing upon him again. He grabbed a rope and flung it up towards Rat. The rain was falling heavier now, and he couldn't see if he had thrown it high enough.

"Again!" Shouted Rat, hanging upside down by his knees so that he could grab it.

"Brace yourselves!" Shouted Sinbad as another wave buffeted the ship. The twins went sprawling and end up behind the stack of barrels.

"Ugh!" He was knocked forward by that last rocky wave. At this point his hair was dripping wet and falling into his eyes. He brushed his bangs back angrily and threw another rope up at Rat after getting back to his feet. "And people go on cruises for fun!" he muttered to himself.

Rat caught the rope this time and scurried up the mast to tie it in place.

"Sinbad, we can't out run it!" Shouted Kale. The ship was plowing through the waves, but new the darkest part of the storm was nearly on their tail. "We need to roll up the sails!"

"Not yet!" Sinbad shouted from where he was wrestling with the wheel.

Lightning flashed through the sky, accompanied by a roar of thunder. It was so dark now that Dimitri couldn't tell the men apart as they all ran about shouting. He felt someone bump into his shoulder and he grunted, falling over and dropping the rope he was about to throw to Rat. The most ominous of the clouds moved right above them, hurling its full force at the ship. Dimitri stood up again, drenched and more than a bit scared. He threw the rope up at Rat before a particularly violent wave splashed onto the deck and caught him up in its current. Water filled his mouth and he coughed, struggling against the water.

"Secure the sails!" Sinbad finally shouted, and instantly the shadowy crew jumped to obey, rolling up the tight canvas so that the wind and rain didn't rip them to shreds. Some of them held onto the masts or the rails until the water on deck stared to drain, or rescued the crates that it tried to take with it.

Rat spotted Dimitri struggling in the water. "Captain! The cabin boy!"

The wave was much too strong; Dimitri surfaced, coughing for air, arms flailing. He felt his back collide with the rail as he was swept overboard. He shouted, his voice drowned out by the wind and the storm as he flailed. He hit the water with a painful splash, immediately swallowing the salty brine. His throat and nose burned as he kicked wildly to the surface. His head shot out and he coughed violently, his entire body moving frantically to keep afloat even as terror gripped him; he was a goner.


	10. Chapter 10

Sinbad grappled with the ship's wheel, trying to keep their course even as the storm ripped into them. The entire ship groaned as if it was trying to rip itself to pieces. The waves lashed it is side and poured over the deck. He and his crew had been through this many times before, so they knew the drill. Those who couldn't stand against the waves had gone below deck to secure their cargo. Even with the sails secured, the ship was getting buffeted by the storm.

"Captain!" He heard rat shout and he looked where the man was pointing just in time to see his new cabin boy hit the rail hard and tip right over the side. His heat stopped for a split second and then he leapt into action.

He swore viciously. "Kale! Take the wheel!" His first mate didn't argue with him, but instantly jumped to grab the wheel, which spun wildly for a second before he steadied it.

Sinbad jumped onto the rail of the quarter deck and balanced there while he searched the choppy waves. Nothing . . . nothing . . . there. Dimitri's head broke through the water and he thrashed wildly. Sinbad whistled sharply and instantly rat tossed him a rope. He quickly tied it around his middle and took a flying leap off of the side of his ship, slicing into the water like a knife.

The effort it took to stay afloat was monumental. Dimitri's legs ached terribly, but his survival instincts spurred him on, even as he lost hope. Suddenly, another wave surged up and fell on top of him like a wrathful hand. He didn't have time to shout as he was dragged underwater.

Sinbad surfaced a couple of yards away, trying to see through the rain. It looked like the damn cabin boy had gone under again and he couldn't go after him until he surfaced again. Come on . . .

He fought for the surface again, but he was growing weaker. Of course, Dimitri was nothing if not determined and stubborn. He coughed out more water, feeling his lungs burn and his eyes sting.

The ship had lurched to the side as Kale tried to keep it held in place. The rope around Sinbad's middle grew tight before rat let out some more slack and he almost gagged on the salt water. He pulled his hair out of his eyes and spotted a hand right as Dimitri went under again. "Hold on!" he shouted, making strong strokes towards where he'd gone under. Then he took a deep breath and dove into the churning water, reaching out.

Dimitri's lungs were giving out on him and he slowed his movements, letting his body sink into the dark waters. A sudden current wafted against his face and he waved his hand about, until it grasped something... another hand, he realized dimly. The last of his breath left his mouth in a flurry of bubbles.

Sinbad caught hold of Dimitri's wrist and kicked towards the surface, hauling the other man with him. Both of them broke the surface, gasping for air. Sinbad gave the rope around his waist a couple of quick tugs and then wrapped his arm around it. "Come on, grab the rope!" He shouted, trying to be heard over the storm.

The cold, biting air was like the breath of God on his face as Dimitri felt himself being pulled up to the surface. He choked a bit and held onto the other person's arm, his head lolling back onto their shoulder. He blinked a few times to get the droplets out of his eyes, and through his blurry vision, he made out the form of Sinbad. He heard his faint order and used the last of his strength to grab onto the rope with his free hand. The waves rocked them as they held on to their lifeline.

The rope grew taut again as the crew started to haul the two waterlogged men back towards the ship. "Don't you dare let go," growled Sinbad. "I said I'd toss you overboard, not that you were allowed to fall over."

He gripped tighter onto the rope, ignoring the burning in his tired arm. "I... didn't know you cared," he said weakly in between coughs. Their feet left the water as they were slowly pulled up, though the wind was doing its damnedest to swing them around dangerously.

Once they were high enough above the water, Sinbad let go of the rope and scrambled up the side of the ship so that he could grab Dimitri's arms and drag him onto the deck. The two men collapsed backwards onto the deck, coughing up water and completely soaked.

Dimitri gasped like he was just learning how to breathe, taking in as much air as he could, but was finding it difficult to breathe. The hard wood against his back was a relief. Around him he could hear cheers and shouts of glee half drowned out by the storm. Why did he still feel suffocated? As his senses returned, he realized there was the weight of a man on top of him: specifically, Sinbad's. The guy was practically nose-to-nose with him. "Hey," he croaked, nudging him, "Would you mind moving a bit?"

Sinbad wiped off his mouth. "There's gratitude for you." He pushed himself to the side and rolled to his feet just as another wave washed over the deck. He grabbed Dimitri by the back of his shirt to keep him from being washed over the edge again. "Get below deck where you belong, cabin boy!"

The twins hoisted Dimitri up by his arms.

"And the rest of you!" Sinbad shouted at his crew, who were clapping and patting him on the back for his recue. "We aren't through this yet, back to work!"

Dimitri let himself be pulled up by Jin and Li who walked him below deck. He gratefully rested his weight on the two of them as he could barely move now.

"You're the luckiest man right now!" Jin said to his left. He let out an incoherent mumble.

"And Sinbad is the craziest captain ever!" Li chimed in to his right. "I didn't think he'd risk his life like that!"

"Yeah, well… I guess the man's full of surprises, huh?" Dimitri let go of them and collapsed onto his hammock, pushing his sopping wet bangs out of his eyes.

"Just rest now," Li said, patting him amiably on the shoulder. "Men with no sea legs shouldn't be up there. It's one of the worst storms I've ever seen!"

"Thanks guys," he said in a raspy voice, letting his full weight sink into the hammock. As the twins hurried back up to help with the steering, he heard one of them say to the other, "Told you they wouldn't drown! Pay up!"

The moment he was alone, he pulled off his dripping vest and unbuttoned his shirt. He lay there, bare-chested and shivering from the cold. Why hadn't he felt frozen the moment he was back on deck? He thought back to that moment… Oh right, there had been a warm body on top of him.

Dimitri scowled; the last thing he wanted was for Sinbad to be a source of comfort. Although he would be fish food if it weren't for him right now. Unable to think anymore, he pulled Jed's blanket from the hammock above and wrapped himself in it, closing his eyes and finally succumbing to his body's fatigue.


	11. Chapter 11

Sleep didn't really come easily to Dimitri. He woke up in fits of gasping, his dreams plunging him back into that cold abyss. He wiped the sweat off his brow and pinched the bridge of his broken nose. Well, he was getting absolutely no sleep tonight.

He pulled the blanket off him and stood up. There was no one else in the bunk apart from Luca, who was busy crawling on the floor and looking at the wall.

"What are you doing?" Dimitri asked.

Luca turned and looked at him sternly. "Checking the ship of leaks, what does it look like!" He turned back to his inspection and grumbled, "Younguns these days… Never been on a ship in their lives."

Dimitri cleared his throat awkwardly and then turned to his clothes. They weren't very dry, leading him to believe he hadn't been asleep for very long. Sighing, he picked up his shirt and pulled it on without buttoning it up. He walked up the steps onto the deck and winced as a cool but now subsided wind bit at his cheeks. The storm had rolled on by; the rain was reduced to nothing but a few drops here and there. He watched as all around, crewmen went about readjusting the sails and wringing out their shirts.

Kale spotted Dimitri as he climbed out of the crew's quarters. "Shouldn't you still be in bed? You probably had quite a scare. And I doubt that the deck needs swabbing right now." It was true, the waves and the rain had washed away any grime that might have been leftover from his labors.

Dimitri rubbed his neck. "Yeah, well... Can't sleep. Too much, uh... sea water in the ears." He tapped at his ear, trying to get some of the water out. "And well... couldn't really sleep after all that and um..." He cleared his throat. "Where's—Where's Sinbad?" he asked the last part in a low voice, looking away from Kale.

"Sinbad?" Kale looked around. "I think he's probably in his cabin if you want to talk to him." He jerked his head toward the door underneath the quarterdeck. "But don't be too hard on him right now Dimitri, I don't think he's in the mood for it," he warned quietly.

"Yeah, I can imagine." He started for the captain's quarters, turning his head to utter a quick "Thanks," before he made it to the door. He didn't know why he was so nervous... probably because he and Sinbad hadn't held an actual friendly conversation since they'd met. And then there he went, saving his life and making him feel all... all grateful and uncomfortable and damn that smug asshole to hell. Steeling himself, he knocked on the door.

"What?" Sinbad's voice sounded sharp, even through the door.

He winced at the gruff tone but pushed the door open and slowly stepped in. "Uh... hi," he said, looking around. This was the first time he had actually been in here. There were trinkets of all sorts lying about, from animal skeletons to treasure chests lining the walls to lavish cushions on his bed. He wondered idly how many places he'd looted to get this many goods.

Sinbad was sprawled on the cushioned bed with a cloth draped over his head and his shirt off. There was a map spread over a couple of the cushions and he had a quill in his hand, as if he had been writing on it. He looked up at Dimitri and frowned.

"I thought I ordered you below deck."

His eyes fell on Sinbad's chest and he suddenly felt self-conscious. The man had abs and rather prominent pecs. While Dimitri wasn't in poor shape, he wasn't exactly built either.

"I guess almost drowning kind of puts a damper on proper sleep," he said lamely. "Anyway, I uh… I just came to… to say thank you." The last part came out in a very quiet mumble.

Sinbad put the quill back in the ink pot of the bed side table. "Sorry, I didn't catch that. Must have been the water in my ears."

"Thank you," he repeated louder through gritted teeth.

"One more time, with feeling." Sinbad was smirking now.

"Thank you for saving my life! There, are you happy now!" God, why was this so hard?

Sinbad settled back against the cushions, looking like a half-naked cat that had drunk all of the cream. "You are very welcome, cabin boy."

"Right. I'll just, uh... go then." He nearly tripped on his untied shoelace on his way out, closing the door behind him and leaning against it with a sigh. That was going to be high on his list of most mortifying moments ever. Having to thank that smug bastard for saving his life... God.

Sinbad couldn't have held in his laughter if a hundred gold pieces had been on the line. That had been the highlight of what had been an exhausting and very nearly disastrous day. He tossed to towel onto the floor and settled back against his cushions. Maybe having the cabin boy along to Constantinople wouldn't be such a chore after all.

Dimitri settled back down into his hammock, hoping that the nightmares of drowning would cease. As he closed his eyes and let the now gentle rocking of the ship lull him into a shallow sleep, his mind drifted back to the cold blackness against his wishes. His chest constricted; he couldn't breathe. The cold icy water dragged him deeper and deeper into the darkness. He was lost... All of a sudden, something grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled him up, up, up until he broke free from the water completely. He was gasping for air just as something hard and heavy pressed down on him.

His eyes opened, unable to make out a specific person, but his hand reached forward, coming into contact with a tanned, muscular chest. He drifted down, his fingers grazing along a firm stomach. The figure (definitely male) shifted on top of him, and Dimitri felt his body heat radiating on him. His breath hitched as he forgot about the cold, about the dark, and let the warmth of the other body envelop him. Just as a hand halted his own wandering fingers to hold them, he woke with a start.

Blinking, he looked around wildly; the cabin was full of snoring crewmen, all resting from the aftermath of the storm. He ran a hand through his hair, breathing heavily. He could feel his heart pounding rapidly in his ribcage. Puffing out his cheeks in a heavy exhale, he flopped back onto the hammock, uncomfortably aware at how warm his whole body currently felt.

"Oh God," he muttered, flinging a hand over his eyes.

A pirate's life was not the life for him.


	12. Chapter 12

Evening fell over the ship the next day. The storm had completely blown over, leaving them relatively unscathed. Nobody else had fallen overboard, though a couple of hapless barrels had taken the plunge. The crew gathered outside of the kitchen to collect their dinner. It wasn't so large a ship that it had a dining room, so they tended to either eat on deck or in their quarters if it was raining. Tonight the fare was a thick stew made with vegetables and some sort of salty meat with a chunk of bread to go with it.

"Hurry up, I haven't got all night!" Shouted the cook, who was a big, muscular man with a very red face and a bandana tied around his head. The sailors all yelled back at him and a small riot broke out at the back of the line.

"Settle down guys," said Kale as he pulled the twins apart. "Or I'll give both of your plates to Jed."

Jed didn't seem to mind that at all.

"Dimitri, hold up a minute," the first mate called as Dimitri walked by with his own plate.

He had discovered a while ago that there weren't just eggs and pickles on this ship. Dimitri had taken his revenge on the twins by swiping coins from their pockets while he got them distracted on a mindless wager. He had then promptly pocketed them, whistling as he did so.

So now here he was, with a hearty stew and was feeling better after his little dive. He stopped at Kale's voice and looked at him expectantly with raised eyebrows.

"Sinbad is working in his quarters this evening. Take him his dinner or he'll forget to come out and eat." Kale handed him a second bowl.

Dimitri stiffened. If it had been anyone other than Kale, he would have flat out refused and moved on with his dinner. However, Kale was probably the easiest guy to get along with on this ship, and Dimitri's tight face was not going to make the bigger man relent.

"Fine, fine!" he said airily, putting his plate on the table. "Make sure Jed doesn't steal this."

He grabbed Sinbad's plate and went off towards the captain's cabin, his sense of awkwardness growing with each step.

Rat was lighting the lanterns that hung from the masts. "Where are you going?" He asked as Dimitri walked under him.

He lifted his head to look up at Rat even as he kept walking. "To give his Highness dinner," he called up.

"Oh, that is good. Luck be with you!" He waved after Dimitri and then swung down onto the deck to go join the rest of the crew.

"Well?" Asked Kale as he ran up.

"He didn't dump it over the side; I think he's actually going to do it." Rat took Dimitri's abandoned food and started to eat it using his fingers.

"Ha, pay up. I told you." Cheered Li, plucking a coin out of his twin's fingers. The men all laughed.

Kale shook his head. "Well, we'll just wait and see. There might be bigger bets to make later on."

Back on the deck, Dimitri watched Rat swing away as he usually did, which left him alone to face Sinbad by himself.

"This has got to stop being awkward at some point," he muttered.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

"Enter!"

Sinbad was sitting behind his ornate desk, one again drawing all over a map with a feathered quill. He looked up as Dimitri walked in. "Come to thank me for something else?"

"Yeah, thanks for making me miss most of dinner," Dimitri replied, though his tone wasn't as aggressive as his words would suggest. He kicked the door closed with his foot and set the plate down in front of Sinbad.

"Here, eat it so Kale can stop worrying about you." He turned on his heel to leave.

Sinbad snorted. "Kale wouldn't worry about me if I had a mast sticking out of my chest." He picked up the plate and smelled it. "Not bad."

"I'd say he mothers you more than you'd like to admit." Dimitri said over his shoulder. He practically had one foot out the door before a thought struck him and he turned around. "So... Are we headed straight to Istan— I mean, Constantinople?" he asked.

"Yep," said Sinbad around a mouthful of stew. "See? We're going to have to take this way in, it's the only route." He pointed to the map in front of him, waiting to see if Dimitri was intrigued enough to come back and look.

Dimitri leaned over to look at the map. He did not recognize the land mass very well; it was vastly different from the modern map. "... Right," was all he could think to say. "I'll trust you on that then."

"Of course, it'll probably be dangerous," commented Sinbad. He didn't sound very worried.

Dimitri recalled the near-death train fiasco, the attack on the palace, his near-drowning. Danger didn't seem to want to leave him alone. "Greaaaaaat," he said with no enthusiasm whatsoever.

"Sea monsters like to hang around places like that, since there are a lot of ships. Well, sea monsters and pirates." He grinned and used the bread to soak up some of the stew.

Dimitri rubbed at his forehead, suddenly weary. "Please tell me you've been doing this long enough that you don't lose half your crew."

"I only lost three last time and I didn't like them anyway. Only idiots get killed by sea monsters. Jed has been eaten twice and each time he was fine."

"Huh." Dimitri drummed his fingers against his chin. "So tell me, do you have to pick up new crew members at every port?"

Sinbad shook his head and pushed his half-empty stew bowl across the table. "Not usually. This ship can sail with a small crew. But after our last disaster I had to pick somebody up." He shuddered. It had been a thoroughly nasty business. He could still hear Reis' screams as he was eaten by the black monster. He pushed it to the back of his mind. "Luckily enough, that person ended up being you."

Dimitri huffed. "And I'm supposed to feel honored, I'm sure," he said out of the corner of his mouth. "So what's the average life expectancy for a cabin boy on your ship?"

Sinbad looked up at the roof as he thought about it, and kicked his feet up onto the desk. "I don't know; we've never had one before." He looked back at Dimitri. "Most people aboard this ship have some useful skill other than cleaning."

"Hey, it's not my fault I'm not versed in the art of ancient piracy!" Dimitri snapped, "Besides, being a kitchen boy was the only job I could get as a kid! I had to clean the royal dishes after every single meal! Like you'd have the patience to do that."

"Did it keep you fed? Because I spent my time as a kid on my dad's boat. We ate what we could catch from the sea, or steal from other ships."

"Course it did. All those leftovers? The only time in my life I ate like a real king." His countenance darkened, as did his voice. "Until my country's royal family was killed off, then I was out of a job. Swindling was the fastest way to keep me out of the cold." He leaned against the desk and crossed his arms. He was in an oddly conversational mood now. Maybe he felt he owed the man who saved his life, and telling him a bit more about himself was one method of repaying him. "I was actually going to go through my biggest con yet before I landed on your delightful boat. The youngest princess was rumored to be alive still, so I found a girl who looked just like her and hoped to pass her off as the real thing." He chuckled bitterly. "Turns out she was the real thing." Anya's doe-eyed face flitted across his mind's eye. His heart clenched and he wondered if he had said too much.

Sinbad leaned back in his chair, his hands laced on his stomach. "Sounds rough."

He shrugged. "I didn't end up taking the reward money because..." He trailed off, his eyes darting towards Sinbad before landing on the map. He put a fist to his lips and cleared his throat. "... Because I guess I got a bit of a conscience."

"A conscience?" Echoed Sinbad. "Well, I guess it's a good thing we're dropping you off in Constantinople. I don't have any use for a pirate with one of those."

A sharp slice of fear cut through him at the thought of leaving this ship. Not that he had a lot of love for it, but at least it gave him food and somewhat of a rag tag group of people to get along with. Dropped off in an ancient city with no way of knowing how it worked didn't seem like an ideal fate. "Yes, well..." He looked away, trying to appear like his usual cool self, "Hopefully I'll find a way back home before then."

Sinbad didn't look convinced, but then again, suddenly finding your way home from the middle of the ocean on a pirate ship did seem rather unlikely. "Good luck with that. You're dismissed, go get your food."

"Best thing I've heard all day," he said, not needing to be told twice. He turned around and opened the door.

"If that's the best thing you've heard all day I would fuck you myself just to improve it. Get going." Sinbad was already back to his maps, scribbling away.

His jaw dropped just as his mind froze. He turned to look back at Sinbad, who was just innocently working. "I... did you just... what?" He hadn't been so appalled since Vlad had commented that he had an unspoken attraction for Anya, except he was probably twice as appalled right now. Appalled and unsure how to properly react. So he spun on his heel, muttering "dirty pirate" under his breath before he slammed the door violently.

He stalked back below deck, muttering curses at that asshole Sinbad who just enjoyed riling him up at every opportunity. Things did not improve when he got to his table, only to find his plate entirely licked clean.

"Who ate my dinner!"

Back in his cabin Sinbad choked, snorted, and then burst into gales of laughter. The look on Dimitri's face when he'd said that was priceless enough that he wanted to bottle it and sell it at market. Or maybe he'd keep it, just to bring out for kicks. Either way, it was a long, long time until his mirth subsided to the point where he could breathe properly.

He wiped a tear out of his eye with his wrist. What to do with that cabin boy. He might actually be a bit reluctant to see him go once they reached Constantinople.


	13. Chapter 13

Two days had passed while Dimitri got more used to his routine and work schedule. Waking up at the crack of dawn (by habit now, no longer by Sinbad. He'd kicked him in the jaw not too long ago in a fit of dreaming), grabbing the mop and bucket, swabbing the place top to bottom, interacting with the crew (and avoiding others like Jed. Seriously, what sane person kept human teeth in their pockets?) and giving Sinbad the side-eye.

He knew his risqué comment from a few nights ago was just to get a rise out of him, he just knew it. But it still pissed him off. With nothing else to occupy his mind, he focused entirely on his work, exhausting himself to the point that he couldn't think of anything at night. It was better that way; he didn't have to worry about what would happen once they got to Constantinople, or how he could somehow go home. And despite their eccentricities, the crew was slowly growing on him. They played less pranks on him now, thankfully. Fewer pranks wasn't as good as no pranks at all, but he'd take what he could get. If he ever found another crab in his hammock, though, there'd be hell to pay.

The ship rocked gently and the men snored around him. It was the middle of the night. The only light came from the small candles in the lanterns that rocked back and forth with the movement of the ship. There wasn't even a moon out to illuminate the smooth water; it was obscured by a layer of clouds. Rain dripped steadily onto the deck, nowhere near as heavy as it had been during the storm. It collected in small puddles and in barrels set out to collect it. The sound of it on the water outside added a soft shush-shush to the sounds of the sleeping crew and the creaks of the ship.

Dimitri was in a state of drowsiness, but not quite asleep. He could hear the gentle patter of the rain outside, and though he knew that rationally, it was just a shower, he couldn't help that it grated at his nerves. He would never be comfortable in the rain again unless he was on dry land.

Giving up on trying to fall asleep, he kicked at the hammock above him. An annoyed grunt was what he got in response, and a slight creaking as the body above him shifted.

"Hey, Jed!" he whispered, "How many clams have you killed so far?"

"Twenty-fiiivveezzzzzzz…." Jed muttered in his sleep.

Dimitri covered his mouth to suppress his chuckle. He had learned to get his kicks through little things like these around the ship.

There was suddenly the patter of footsteps from overhead as somebody ran across the slick deck. The hatch to the crew's quarters was pulled open and a shape ran over to Kale's bunk and shook him awake. There was a quick, whispered conversation as the first mate jerked awake and then the two men ran back out of the hatch, leaving the rest of the crew asleep. Dimitri tried to make out who was whispering to Kale, but couldn't recognize the man's profile. As the two of them slipped out, he sat up, half intent on following out of curiosity.

Up on the wet deck, Kale and Sinbad stood near the rail. Both only had loose sleeping pants on and Sinbad had clearly also been roused from sleep because his hair stood up wildly. Rat crouched on the rail and was pointing out to the dark sea. The men spoke too quietly for Dimitri to hear from where he stood.

Dimitri's head was the only part of him visible above deck. He doubted the men would notice him anyway. The rain fell into his eyes and made it difficult for him to see. He wiped the water out hastily and looked out at the sea, wondering what the commotion was about.

Out is the dark, a single small light gleamed against the black, barely visible through the rain.

"What do you want to do, Sinbad?" Kale asked. His deep voice was easy to hear even through the rain.

The response was inaudible, but it made Kale nod and start to walk back towards the crew's quarters.

Dimitri had no idea where that light was coming from. He felt increasingly nervous at it seemed to grow closer to them. His observation was cut short as Kale started to walk back towards him and he quickly scrambled downstairs and flung himself into his hammock, feigning sleep.

Kale moved quietly from bunk to bunk, rousing the men as quietly as he could. They swung out of their hammocks and pulled on their clothes, grabbing weapons from where they were stashed with their gear against the wall of the ship. He hesitated when he came to Dimitri, but sighed and gave him a shake.

"Dimitri, wake up."

Years of conning people had turned Dimitri into a regular thespian, and he made a show of yawning (but not too dramatically) and rubbing his eyes. He opened seemingly heavy lids up at Kale. "What is it?" he asked, keeping his voice husky.

"There's another ship. Sinbad thinks it might be Navy. We're going to take a look. Get dressed and help Rat douse the lights."

"What?" His curiosity was genuine now as he quickly pulled his vest on and followed Kale up to the deck. Around him, the men were arming themselves to the teeth. He could hear Luca in the corner laughing maniacally. Dimitri's heart dropped; he was going to witness an actual plundering, wasn't he? "This is not what I signed up for," he groaned into his hand. Granted, he had been kidnapped and hadn't willingly signed up for anything, but that was beside the point.

"Come on," hissed Rat from behind him. He swung like a monkey up into the rigging, extinguishing the red lanterns. He left the ones closer to the deck for Dimitri.

Sinbad was addressing the crew, his voice low. There was no way that the other ship could possibly hear them over the rain, but it was clear they were taking no chances.

"We're going to move in until we can see their colors. No one makes any moves until I say so, understand? We could walk away from this either very rich or very dead."

"Well we wouldn't be walking if we were dead," chimed in Li and got an elbow in the gut.

Dimitri moved about the deck, blowing out the lanterns one by one. He looked back at the crew, their collective excitement palpable in the air. He, on the other hand, was feeling very apprehensive. He glanced up at the approaching specter of the ship and gulped. It was twice as big as theirs, and possibly held more people on board.

"Cabin boy," hissed Sinbad, as he came up behind him and grabbed him by the back of his vest. "I don't need you stumbling around and falling overboard again. You go below deck as soon as I give the signal to my men and you _stay there_. Do you understand me?"

"Let go!" He pulled out of Sinbad's grip, not the least bit intimidated by his sharp tone. "I'm aware I'm not pirating material, alright?"

"Just keep that in mind. I can't be taking time to rescue you if you screw up." The charming playboy captain was gone, replaced by a serious man who was trying to look out for his crew.

Dimitri glared back at him just as intensely. "I get it, okay?" He smoothed down his vest for any wrinkles Sinbad may have caused and hopped down the steps below deck again. If Sinbad wanted him out of his hair, he was more than happy to oblige.

The pirate ship cut through the water, coming up on the other ship like a ghost in the dark. With no lanterns, they were practically invisible, the sound of the waves against their hull almost drowned out by the rain. Sinbad looked back at his crew, all of who stood silently on deck, grappling hook and ropes at the ready, swords and knives at their sides. His own twin blades hung on the sash around his waist. Finally they drew close enough that they could make out the ship's flags, which fluttered wetly in the night wind. He turned around and grinned at his crew.

"Last one aboard buys drinks!" With that, he leapt off of the side of the pirate ship and climbed up onto the much larger boat, disappearing onto the deck.

Although he had closed the doors to the crews' quarters, Dimitri could still hear the commotion from above. His nerves were battling with his increasing annoyance at Sinbad. The man irked him more than Anya had upon their first meeting, and he didn't think that was even possible. So steeped in his brooding was he that he momentarily forgot about the oncoming fight. That is, until a particularly shrill cry from Rat broke him out of his reverie and returned him to the very present danger they were all in.


	14. Chapter 14

They caught the ship's crew sleeping. Some of them had heard the cries of the pirates as they swarmed onto the deck and were tipping out of their beds, and a couple even managed to grab swords before they were set upon. The scene was illuminated by the lanterns on deck, the faint firelight giving everything the feel of a shadow play, with dark silhouettes clashing with each other. War cries mixed with screams of pain as everybody tried to figure out exactly what was going on. The pirates were clearly more organized than the navy's crew, most of whom were trying to fend off their attackers in their underclothes.

Sinbad had climbed up into the rigging of the ship along with Rat and came leaping down into the fray with his twin swords drawn and his teeth bared while Rat swung around with his ropes, using them to trip up the naval sailors.

The ring of metal on metal as swords met rang through the still night air, making the previously peaceful night suddenly become something much more dangerous.

The shouts and screams grew louder and louder from where Dimitri sat hiding. It was an all-too familiar noise to him, save for the absence of gunfire. He cursed aloud as he looked about the room, looking for something to defend himself with should he be attacked. He might not be a fighter, but he'd had to whack his way out of a mob before. He didn't see why he couldn't do it again.

The heavy thump of a pair of boots landing above him alerted Dimitri back to the present. Without thinking, he hurried up the stairs and flung the doors to the deck open, only to be met with a uniformed guard of some sort.

"Oh shi—"

The guard yelled and swung his sword, but he quickly pulled the doors shut again, only to throw his neck to the side as the blade speared through and almost hit him.

"Oh yeah, great vacation destination, thanks a lot, Greece!" he growled with the effort it took to keep the doors closed as the guard began rattling at them and hacking away at the door.

He managed to nick him on the forearm, but soon after, all Dimitri heard was a thud and a grunt followed by the fall of something heavy. Panting, he cautiously peeked through one of the splintered holes left by the guard's sword. He couldn't make out the form outside, but he recognized the voice immediately as it spoke.

"Cabin boy! You alive?"

He flung the doors open at once. "Jed! I never thought I'd say this, but I'm so glad to see you!"

"BACK! THE FIGHT CONTINUES! CLAMS AWAY!" He swung his sword around and threw himself back into the fray.

Dimitri was still recovering from earlier and didn't comment on that. He quickly surveyed the carnage; it was all happening in the dark, which somehow made it more frightening.

Even though Sinbad's crew had the advantage of surprise, they were still outnumbered by the crew of the naval ship. It was impossible to fight all of them at once, so while they were distracted, other members of the navy ship had gotten dressed and armed themselves, climbing back onto the pirate ship while the majority of the crew was absent.

The twins had remained behind on the deck of their ship and were currently engaged in fighting off the sailors who were trying to take their ship. Li did a backflip and stabbed his sword deep into the throat of a sailor that was trying to take his head off with a sabre. The man clutched at his neck and fell back against the door crew quarters, slamming it shut on Dimitri and cutting off his view of the midnight battle.

He grunted as the doors fell back on him violently. The tumble down the few steps weren't seriously harmful, but they did give him a bruise or two. Groaning, Dimitri sat up, rubbing his head. He was blaming this entire thing on Sinbad and his stupid need to do pirate things.

"Could've just let the ship pass but nooo, you have to go and plunder it!" he muttered sullenly, rubbing his elbow.

Back on the enemy ship, Kale had been surrounded by five men with swords. These ones hadn't been caught unaware and tipped out of their bunks, but were actually dressed and armed, stabbing at him with long swords. The big first mate caught two of them on the edge of his scimitar and sent their owners sprawling back with a pair of vicious kicks to their middles. The others pulled back to regroup and looked at him with more respect, trying to work together to bring him down.

Kale glared at them in the dark and all of a sudden all three went tumbling as Rat pulled a rope past their ankles. Kale finished them off with quick, efficient slices and saluted at the ropes man as he climbed back into the rigging.

Sinbad had made it up to the quarter deck and had engaged the Captain. They slashed at each other, Sinbad dancing along the railing of the naval ship, jumping over the much larger man's sword as he tried to cut his feet out from under him.

Meanwhile, the twins were busy taking out men with their famed acrobatics, using their shared staff to swing about and avoid blows. It looked like the fates were in favor of the pirates as the battle raged on. Jed had pulled out a handful of his own custom-made mini explosives and hurled them at the enemy ship.

The detonations that followed were enough to alarm Dimitri, who pushed at the doors with all of his strength. Finally, he managed to open them enough to have the fallen guard previously blocking the entrance slide off. His head popped out, only to duck back down again as a passing guard swung to decapitate him.

The captain's sword went slicing through Sinbad's shirt and he shouted as he pin wheeled his arms and tried not to pitch off of the railing and into the water. The moon finally came out from behind the clouds, bathing the whole scene in stark white light, though the rain continued to fall. He jumped forward and rolled across the slick deck, losing his sword in the process.

The captain sneered at him and kicked his sword away as he approached. "The great Sinbad," he drawled. He sounded French and Sinbad gritted his teeth as he tried to get back to his feet. "Wait until I bring back your head. I'll be promoted!" He stabbed his sword directly at Sinbad's head.

The crewmen were too busy with their own battles to notice the danger that their captain was in.

Luca, who may have been the oldest but was as spry as a spring chick in the heat of battle, was the first one to spot Sinbad, stumbling back to his feet, the enemy captain's sword aiming between his eyes.

"Sinbad!" He croaked out, struggling in vain to get to him.

Sinbad looked up just in time and fell back down onto the deck, using the sick wood to slide between the captain's legs and come up behind him. He jumped into the air and kicked the man forward. The man screamed as he tumbled overboard and there was a loud splash as he hit the water.

The navy men all froze, staring at where their captain had just fallen overboard, and the back up at Sinbad. Sinbad coughed into his hand and straightened his ripped shirt, smoothing back his hair as if he did this every day.

"Gentlemen, why don't you lay down your swords and we can wrap this up?"


	15. Chapter 15

With the fall of the enemy commander, victory soon followed. The raucous cheering let Dimitri know who exactly had won, and he pushed open the doors and walked onto the deck, rubbing wearily at his face.

The crew were busy swinging from one ship to another as they loaded themselves with goods, dropping them off quickly before going back to find more. Dimitri watched as chests of gold and jewels were thrown in front of him, as well as statues, weapons, and… what was that, an ebony sculpture of a goat with an overlarge penis? He pinched the bridge of his nose. He was certainly one for taking other people's valuables, but he just couldn't see the worth of that—

"It brings good luck," Jed said, picking up the goat and shaking it.

"Uh-huh," he replied without looking up.

The twins ran by with a corpse held over their heads and tossed it overboard. Kale was supervising the transportation of the wounded enemy sailors back onto their ship. A plank had been lowered between the two boats so that they could walk with their hands tied behind their backs. A couple had to be carried back by their crew mates. Kale had a shallow slice on one arm, but otherwise seemed unharmed. He kept his hand on his scimitar, as if to dissuade any sort of rebellion.

With the rest of the guards subdued and all of the loot safely tucked away in their ship, there began talk of drinking and celebration. This was met with laughter and cheers of assent.

"But what about sleep?" Dimitri murmured tiredly. The "excitement" of the night had rather worn him out.

"Come on, Dimitri!" Jin said, grabbing his arm, "You gotta try a pirate party!"

"And on Sinbad's ship, they're the best!" Li grabbed his other arm.

The twins hauled him away despite his feeble attempts at resistance. "Wait guys, really? None of you are tired?"

"Battle excitement!" Li replied, "Gets rid of all sleep!"

Somebody had broken out one of the ale casks and the cook was serving up a midnight feast for the victorious pirates. In the distance, the enemy ship sailed off with a highly subdued crew. They had been left enough supplies to make it to land, but little else. Bottles of red wine were being passed around, part of the bounty that had been seized.

"Now we'll really have something to show off in Constantinople!" Crowed Sinbad. He stood up on the quarter deck with a bottle of wine clutched in his hand. He hadn't even bothered to change out of his torn shirt. His eyes were bright in the torch light. The crew all cheered and lifted their glasses to him.

Well, he wasn't going to complain about a bit of free wine, Dimitri mused. As he was passed a goblet, he was also pulled into a noogie, subsequently spilling most of it on the floor. He sat down with the rest of them, his hair now mussed up and swiftly grabbing Rat's goblet to drink from.

Jed had pulled out a bizarre instrument that looked like a bastardized accordion and a lively tune spilled out of it. The crew drank and laughed on the deck, not caring about the light rain or the blood that was slowly being washed off by it.

"You doing okay?" Asked Kale as he came up behind Dimitri, his own drink held in his hand.

"Hm?" He looked up from his goblet. "Oh yeah, just peachy. I'm just new to the whole… y'know. Plundering." He took a swig of wine.

Kale nodded. "That's probably why Sinbad wanted you to stay below. This line of work can be a bit dangerous."

"So I noticed. Makes me wonder why he picked a cabin boy who can't use a sword." He glanced around casually. "Where is our fearless leader, anyway?"

"I think you were more of a spur-of-the moment thing. He did pull you out of that fight you had gotten yourself into, after all." Kale drank deeply and looked around. "I'm not sure. He's around somewhere."

Evidently not with the rest of them, Dimitri thought as he scoured the place. He was momentarily distracted as Rat pulled him by his vest onto the table to take part in an uncoordinated dance.

"Whoah! What—"

Dance may have been too nice a term. This was more like drunken flailing, which Dimitri refused to take part in, although he couldn't stop himself from chuckling as Rat grabbed Jin and dipped him.

The crew was clearly in high spirits, drunk on both their victory and the liberal amounts of alcohol being passed around. Nobody had been seriously injured, which was apparently a bit odd for the crew judging by the conversations being held. Lanterns were being re-lit all over the ship, bathing it in a cheerful glow.

Having absolutely no knowledge of ancient sailor songs, Dimitri took it upon himself to regale them with tales of some of his best cons. He had just made everyone fall over laughing as he told them of the time he had smoothly convinced a policeman to hand over his pants in the middle of winter as a stroke of good luck when he was fifteen. Sure enough, he had run off with the cop's wallet and pants. His audience guffawed and poured him more wine.

"You can't fight but you sure can talk!" Jin exclaimed patting him on the back.

Dimitri shrugged though he was secretly pleased. "It's all part of my charm, I guess."

As everyone turned to other distractions, he took the opportunity to slip out of the party for some air. But mostly, he was just intensely curious as to where Sinbad had run off to. Probably counting his newly acquired gold coins if he had to guess.

The lamps were lit inside of the captain's cabin, so it wasn't very hard to figure out where he had retreated to. They spilled out onto the deck, but none of the crew seemed to want to disturb Sinbad. The door was firmly closed.

Still unsure as to why exactly he was doing this, he knocked at the door.


	16. Chapter 16

"Go away!" Yep, that was definitely Sinbad.

He ignored it of course, and opened the door. "How come you're not celebrating with the rest of us?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe. "You seem like a party guy."

"I think I just told you to go away. Beat it, cabin boy." It was immediately apparent where Sinbad was, but he sounded grumpy, which was odd since he should have been celebrating as hard as his crew was currently doing.

Unfortunately for him, Dimitri was just as stubborn. He frowned instead of walking away. "Look, if you want to sulk by yourself, that's fine. Guess I shouldn't have come to see if you were still alive."

"Just shut up for a minute, I'm working." Sinbad walked into sight from behind a bookshelf. He had his shirt off again and was trying his best to sew up the slice across his ribs. He had the thread in his teeth and was trying to twist enough to get a good look at the wound.

Dimitri uncrossed his hands and looked up in alarm. "Hey, are you alright?" he unknowingly took a step forward.

"Just fine, I do this every damn day," drawled Sinbad, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"Really? Because your eyes are crossed." He sighed. "Why don't you let me do it?"

Sinbad snorted rudely. "No thanks."

Dimitri rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll go ask Jed to help you. He's good with sharp objects, right?" He turned around to go.

"Don't you DARE tell Jed. Last time he got to patch me up, I ended up with a scar as long as my hand." He ran over and slammed the door before Dimitri could leave, but then he groaned and hunched over, clutching at his side, which was still bleeding. It looked like the captain's sword hadn't only sliced his shirt.

He took a step backwards as Sinbad suddenly moved in front of him and had to sigh at the man's stupid pigheadedness. "You haven't even cleaned that up yet, have you?"

"Do I look like I've had time for that?" He glared at Dimitri. The half-empty wine bottle on his desk contradicted his statement.

Dimitri followed his gaze and then turned back to him, pursing his lips. "Really? You're drinking and then you're sticking a needle in yourself? Have you thought about how that could end up?"

"Shut up, it hurts less that way." He stumbled back over to his desk and sat on it, trying to restring the needle.

"Oh for Pete's sake, give me that!" He snatched the needle and thread from Sinbad's hands and kicked another chair out, sitting on it and sticking the thread in his mouth briefly before carefully putting it through the needle.

"Do you have any experience with this?" Asked Sinbad, watching him blearily as he grabbed the bottle of wine.

With the thread firmly attached, he turned back to look at the wound. It wasn't life threatening by any means, but it certainly needed tending to right away. "A little," he replied, stopping short of poking at Sinbad's skin. "Don't you have anything to clean this up first?"

Sinbad handed him the wine.

Yeah, and how about a rag or something? Unless you want me spilling wine on your pants." God, this guy was uncooperative. Why was he even doing this? _Gotten soft since that whole Russian princess debacle, haven't you?_ a treacherous little voice in his mind said.

"Fine, use this." He reached across the desk and grabbed the tattered shirt that he'd been wearing.

Dimitri took it and tutted. It would do, he supposed. The thing smelled pretty bad, though. He poured some wine on it and dabbed at Sinbad's wound as gently as he could.

Sinbad didn't budge. Not even his expression changed. He did take the wine bottle back from Dimitri and take a long pull on it.

He let Sinbad take the bottle with a snort as he continued cleaning up the wound as best he could. Once that was done, he tossed the shirt aside and leaned forward to begin sewing it up. His free hand pressed against Sinbad's shoulder to steady himself as he stuck the needle in. "Don't you dare move," he said quietly.

"Wasn't planning on." He tried to ignore Dimitri's cool hands on his skin. That was almost more distracting than then needle.

Dimitri frowned as his eyes roamed over the wound. Seeing open flesh and blood so close was a rather uncomfortable experience, but he tried to ignore it by starting up a conversation, however irritating his conversations with Sinbad usually were. "So how long have you been doing this?" He asked as if he were inquiring after the weather.

"What, getting myself stitched up? About two minutes this time." He took another drink from the wine bottle and frowned at it when he found it almost empty.

He stuck the needle in a bit harder in his irritation. "I was talking about pirating," he replied.

Sinbad didn't jump at the jab. "Oh. The minute my feet touched a deck. I guess it was just natural."

"Some people were just meant to be thieves, huh?" Dimitri's sewing slowed as his expression turned forlorn. He often wondered how his life would have turned out had there been no world war or revolution. As it turned out, stealing was something that came easily to him. He didn't know whether that was sad or not.

"Well, it helped that my dad was a pirate too. You might call it a blood-based inclination." He tossed the empty wine bottle onto the floor and it rolled over against a wall. He could barely even feel the stitches anymore.

"Really." Dimitri had no recollection of his parents. He had supposedly been picked up to work at the Tsar's kitchen when he had been merely a tot and that was all that anyone had ever revealed to him. To think he had helped a girl find her way back to her royal family while his own remained a mystery to him. "There. I'm done." With no scissors about, he leaned over and bit the spare bit of string off with his teeth, getting a whiff of the sweat coming off of Sinbad's skin. This may have been a bit of an odd thing to do, he realized. "Uh... you got bandages or something?"

"I'm sure Kale knows where they are." He lay back on the desk. The muscles of his stomach stretched and his hip bones showed above his loose pants. He had draped one of his arms over his eyes so that he didn't have to look at Dimitri. Now that he had finished stitching, he could help but want the cabin boy's hands back on him.

Dimitri coughed. "Right... I guess he can do the rest then. He stood up and glanced back at Sinbad, shuffling awkwardly from foot to foot. The man seemed to be ignoring him, so he decided to slip out as quietly as he could.

Sinbad lifted up his arm as Dimitri walked away. "Cabin boy."

He stopped and sucked in a deep breath. He would not snap at him for using that derogatory nickname. He was injured. He wouldn't. "Yeesssss?" He turned around, grinding his teeth into an obviously forced smile. Anya had tested his patience to what he thought was his limit, but this guy. THIS GUY.

"Thanks."

He blinked. Well that had been completely unexpected. "... You're welcome," he said before closing the door behind him. He needed another drink.

Sinbad sat up on his elbows to watch him go. He could still his fingers brushing against his ribs. Clearly he cared enough not to let him do it himself, even though Sinbad had done it numerous times before. Dimitri's concern was almost . . . touching.

He snorted. Touching indeed. Once they got to Constantinople that would no doubt be the last he saw of the guy. If he felt a pang of loss about that, he did his best to ignore it.


	17. Chapter 17

The plundering was the most exciting thing that they had experienced as the rest of their journey consisted only of smooth sailing. Soon enough, they could see the outline of the great city of Constantinople in the distance.

Dimitri stared at the encroaching coastline with a mingled sense of relief and dread, standing by Kale and Rat who was crouched on the railing next to him. He was very much looking forward to being on dry land again. On the other hand, he was being dropped off in a city he had never visited even in the twentieth century. He would no longer have the promise of food or shelter. Not that the Chimera was a luxury line, but it was the closest thing to security he had in this ancient world.

He wondered more than once if he could ask to stay on board after all. Unless he found a way back home somewhere in Constantinople, he didn't know what good it would do him to end up a homeless man on the streets who would probably be considered a raving lunatic by the locals.

Dimitri's thoughts were lifted from their somber place temporarily as they approached the docks. Ships crowded every inch of the port, and Kale had to expertly weave his way through to find a place to drop anchor. Through the sails, he could see market stalls crawling with customers and hear the bleats and wails of land animals over the myriads of voices. The place was packed to the brim as far as he could tell. In the distance, he could make out the domed roof of the Hagia Sophia, a magnificent structure he had only ever seen in photographs.

Sinbad stood at the bow of the ship, hanging onto a rope with one hand as the ship was carefully pulled up to the dock. He did a neat summersault and landed on the weather-worn boards. The dock officials were already coming down to meet them, but he had a long-standing understanding with them. They didn't ask where his cargo came from or where it was going, and he didn't molest any of their merchant ship and always left them a small part of his profits.

He turned around and looked back up at the ship. "Going to talk to Akalp! Send down the cabin boy," he shouted up to Kale who gave him a quick nod.

Jin and Li were helping adjust a plank to let the crewmen disembark. Dimitri was hopping from foot to foot, eager to be on solid, firm ground. He didn't even have a plan after that; he just wanted to walk on something that wasn't the surface of this damn ship for a while.

"Dimitri!" Called Kale, breaking him out of his dreams of dry land.

Oh come on. He was so close! "Yeah?" He turned to Kale, easily concealing his annoyance.

"Go with Sinbad. He'll show you around." The first mate held out his hand for a handshake. "Take care of yourself."

He blinked at the proffered hand, a bit taken aback. It was then that he realized that this was probably the end of his trip. The thought trickled into his inside like ice. He slowly shook Kale's hand and swallowed. "Yeah... you too."

He walked down to the port, feeling a little wobbly now that he didn't have to steady himself from the waves. He took a deep breath and pushed away thoughts of the future, lest he run back on the ship screaming.

Instead, he walked over to Sinbad who was standing by a herd of camels. The damn things smelled and of course, one of them spit on his shoe.

"First day back on land and I miss the sea already," he said darkly.

Wiping his shoe as best he could on the corner of a wall, he looked at Sinbad. "So, where are we going?"

Sinbad stopped talking to the man with the camels and turned around. "We're going to the Grand Bazaar. It's the only place to go if you want to get anything done."

The two men wove their way through the tight streets of Constantinople. Most of the people were dressed in the traditional clothes, with long colorful robes. Only the eyes of the women were visible above their veils and their hair was always covered. Patrols of city guards passed by every now and then, scimitars hanging from their belts, but they didn't pay Sinbad or Dimitri any attention. In such a city, they were just another set of foreigners come to seek out the marvels of the city.

The Bazaar rose in front of them, a low building that seemed to stretch for miles in every direction. Inside, the ceilings were all arced and decorated with elaborate tile work. Merchants crowded together in stalls or sat on hand-woven rugs, displaying their wares. It was hot and noisy and Sinbad seemed to be right at home.

There were carpet vendors, fruit merchants, jewelry sellers… And it was so crowded that Dimitri could have easily slipped by a stand and taken something. He had no reason to do so… at least not yet. If he was going to be stuck here, he might have to resort to conning in a whole new environment.

"Hey, do they chop of your hand here if you steal?" He whispered into Sinbad's ear. He had heard of such things happening way back in antiquity.

"No, of course not," said Sinbad cheerfully as they ducked under a giant rug being carried by two men. "They just kill you. Much less fuss."

Dimitri gulped. "What about... I don't know, magic users? You wouldn't happen to know people with access to time travel in this city, would you?" He only barely managed to duck the rug in time. "That would probably be a lot more convenient for me."

"Magic? People don't use magic. That's for gods and artifacts. I found a coin that always returned to its owner once, and do you know what happened? Lost the damn thing." He was almost hard to keep track of, since he wove in and out of the crowd like a fish through water.

He was done for, Dimitri thought, his mind belatedly veering into panic mode. He was never going to use electricity or modern plumbing again; he was never going to see Paris, Rome, Berlin or any other familiar city. Hell, he'd be glad to just end up in frigid St. Petersburg right now. He would never again see Vlad or Anya. That last thought made him stop in his tracks for a moment. The realization that he was completely and utterly plucked out of the only life he had ever known was too much for him at the moment. He simply stared down at his feet, in a state of total shock.


	18. Chapter 18

Sinbad stretched his arms cheerfully, breathing in deeply. The bazaar smelled like heat and spices and humanity. He'd been here many times and it was always a comfortable place for him. The merchants knew him, the ladies loved him, and there were always interesting stories floating around for him to pick up on. He winked at a group of three veiled women. They all giggled and turned their eyes coyly away. Constantinople. What a fantastic city.

It took him almost a full minute to realize that Dimitri wasn't behind him. A quick look around didn't show any sign of the belligerent foreigner either.

"Dimtri!" He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted over the crowd. There was no reply. Why couldn't he have picked up an easy-going sailor in Syracuse? No, he had to rescue the hard-headed idiot who couldn't seem to keep himself out of trouble. He swore in Persian as he started to backtrack.

Sinbad would have to find him without his help, because Dimitri was just now in the middle of his sudden panic attack. His heart was threatening to burst out of his chest, his breath was coming up short and his palms were cold and sweaty.

Was this punishment for his life of crime? One could hardly blame him though; he'd done what he needed to for survival. And now what, they gave him a small chance at happiness and threw him in this backwards world before he was able to act on it?

Dimitri felt like he was going to be sick; he ran a hand over his clammy forehead and closed his eyes.

"Come on, come on, get it together," he whispered frantically to himself, "You'll get out of this, you always do."

Although he'd never been through something as extreme as time travel.

He thrust his hand into his vest pocket, rummaging furiously for the apple he still carried. He pulled it out and glared daggers at it.

"Come on you stupid thing, what do you want? Do you want me to learn a lesson? Look, I'm sorry for whatever I did, alright! Just please, take me back!"

In his agony, he hit the apple against his forehead, hoping that maybe this was all just a prolonged nightmare. All he got for his trouble was a sore bump to add to his worries. "Please…" he whispered weakly.

A strong hand grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him backwards, almost making him drop the apple.

"Hey," said Sinbad, looking at him with a critical eye. "Don't fall behind; it's easy to get lost in this place."

"Oh God, what?" He glanced up at Sinbad, completely startled. "Right right right… sorry." He let out a shaky breath and combed through his hair with trembling fingers. "Sorry, I was just… You know what, it doesn't matter."

He slid the apple back into his vest pocket, looking drained.

Sinbad gave him a curious look. "If you say so." He started off again, but held onto Dimitri's wrist so that he didn't fall behind. His hand was hard with callouses from hard work, but still warm.

He had no time to brood by himself now that Sinbad had a firm hold on him. It was like being led about by a strict parent. "Alright let— Hey, you can let go now!"

"The minute I do, you are going to run off and get yourself into some sort of trouble that will get you beheaded. We're almost there." He tightened his hold and ignored Dimitri's protests.

"Hey, I've managed to avoid the authorities most of my life! Cut me some slack if I'm off my game because I just went back almost two thousand years in time!" He tried to tug away, but Sinbad was unfortunately stronger than him and so he had to let himself be led away like a small child. This was just perfect.

If Sinbad was good at one thing, it was not listening to what he didn't want to hear. He'd already tuned out Dimitri and was focused on winding his way through the bazaar without further difficulties. This guy was like a magnet for trouble, he thought to himself.

He spotted a familiar sign up ahead and picked up his pace, all but dragging Dimitri along. If they attracted the attention of the bazaar guards, Sinbad couldn't guarantee he'd be able to talk their way out of it.

Dimitri resigned himself to fuming silently since he was going to get nowhere with this pigheaded jackass. A small part of him was quite curious as to their destination; he wondered whether Sinbad wasn't just going to throw him to the guards and be rid of him once and for all, but judging from his being half dragged to a rather rundown building with a sign he couldn't read, that didn't really look like police headquarters or whatever the equivalent was in this time period.

"Akalp! You in?" Sinbad pushed aside the hanging carpet that blocked the entry and ducked inside, finally letting go of Dimitri's wrist. The smell of incense and old fabric drifted out of the shop.

The place was full of junk and trinkets. Dimitri had to look at the ground constantly to make sure he didn't trip over something. Unfortunately, his eyes couldn't be there all at once, and what he had perceived to be a harmless carpet tassel turned out to be a dog's tail. The mutt in question growled and snapped at his heel.

"Whoah, hey!" he stumbled back, knocking over a rack of robes that fell on his head. As he hurriedly pushed them off, the dog took hold of his pant leg in its teeth.

"Hey! Hey, nice dog! Come on, let go." He tried to shake it off, but the dog persisted; he could hear the fabric tearing and he cursed. Dogs seemed to have an aversion to him, if Anya's little mutt was any indication.

Sinbad had disappeared into another room and there was the sound of laughter and conversation in a language that he didn't understand. He reappeared a few minutes later, followed by a short man who was about as wide as he was tall. He had richly decorated robes and at least eight jeweled rings glittered on his thick fingers.

"So we caught the bastards with their pants down," Sinbad was saying. "Now we're loaded down and I don't feel like hauling it all around."

"Excellent, most excellent." The man, who must have been Akalp, rubbed his hands together. "It's always a pleasure doing business with you, Sinbad."

The two men walked over to a low table surrounded by thick cushions. "Quit playing with the dog, cabin boy," called Sinbad mockingly.

"Excuse me!" Dimitri looked up furiously even as he tried to shake his leg away. Upon seeing its master, the dog released him and ran over to be petted, suddenly acting as innocent as a puppy.

He looked down at his torn pant leg, now also covered in dog drool and let out a frustrated sigh. "I wasn't playing, I was getting mauled," he said through clenched teeth, wiping his leg as well as he could on a hanging carpet.

They ignored him. Akalp had poured two ornate goblets of some kind of pungent tea and he and Sinbad were talking about what kind of goods the pirates had seized during the raid.

The dog had taken itself a comfortable spot by its master's feet, his beady eyes trained on Dimitri the entire time. For his part, he stood where he was with his arms crossed, looking around the place. It was surrounded by goods similar to what he had seen the crew take away from the naval ship. Dimitri smiled ruefully when he realized that he was standing in the primitive version of his own legacy. It figured he'd always be involved with criminals one way or another.

Sinbad gestured to Dimitri with one hand, but kept up a running stream of dialogue with the merchant.

He raised an eyebrow and didn't budge. "What?" he asked.

The captain glowered at him and jabbed his finger at the pillow next to him.

"Who is the boy?" Asked Akalp?

"Just a stray I picked up in Syracuse." Sinbad's voice was casual as he propped his head on his hand and sipped his tea. To an observer, it would seem as though he and Dimitri had never interacted beyond an occasional 'good morning'.

Dimitri rolled his eyes with a huff and stomped over to sit next to Sinbad. He was getting tired of having to obey him out of necessity.

"Hi, Dimitri. Nice to meet you," he said with cool politeness, holding out his hand to Akalp.

"A foreigner?" Akalp glanced at Sinbad as he shook Dimitri's hand. "He does not look like he hails from your Syracuse."

Sinbad finished off his tea. "No, I dragged him out of a street fight. He says he comes from Russia."

"Russia? No, perhaps Scythia. But you don't have the look of a nomad." He grabbed Dimitri by his chin and turned his head back and forth, looking at him. "Are you sure he isn't Italian?"

Sinbad just smirked.

"Hey! You're getting a little handsy there." Dimitri pried himself out of Akalp's grip. "Listen, I just sort of… work for Sinbad." He said the last part in a very low, sullen voice. "As far as I know, he kind of hires people from everywhere."

"That's true." Sinbad poured himself another cup of the tea as Akalp settled back onto his cushion. "But you don't work for me." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a couple of god coins, tossing them to Dimitri. "There, you're all paid up. No longer a cabin boy."

The merchant looked back and forth in between them. "So he does not work for you?"

Sinbad shook his head. "Nope. He made it very clear that he doesn't want anything to do with my crew. Or me," he added, almost as an afterthought.

As each coin dropped in front of him Dimitri felt his stomach plummet further until he was sure it had spilled into his toes. The blunt reality of the situation hit him once again.

"Oh God…" his hand twitched and he knocked a teacup to the ground. He automatically bent over to retrieve it. "God, I'm sorry, I'm s— Let me just…" He set it back on the table with trembling hands and then leaned his face against his forearm.

He had just made a fool of himself and he was probably going to die of starvation or the plague or something, his mind thought wildly.

Akalp seemed not to notice his sudden distress. He looked back over at Sinbad. "So why do you have him with you? He'll just be another stray of Constantinople now."

Sinbad had finished his tea and reached over to take the cup Dimitri had knocked over away from him. "Not my problem," he said mildly. "So what about the cargo?"

The merchant pulled on his beard. "I'll give you . . . five hundred gold pieces for all of it. After I inspect it, of course. You'll have to forgive me if I don't go by your word alone, Sinbad."

Sinbad frowned. "Since when have I ever lead you wrong, you tight fisted miser? It's worth at least twelve hundred and you know it."

Akalp's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "Twelve hundred? That's an entire year of work for one such as myself. I could never do it."

"You liar, your black market connections keep you as flush as a banker. And as fat as one."

The two men fell into bickering, completely oblivious to Dimitri's anguish at his situation. The gold pieces glittered on the thick rugs that covered the floor.

"Not your problem?" Dimitri hissed in the midst of their bickering he didn't care an inkling for, "Not your problem!"

He slammed his hands onto the table. "You drag me unconscious onto that floating piece of driftwood you call a ship and then you make me clean it top to bottom every day for God knows how long!" All of his anxiety, all of his anger, every tidbit of fear that had been building up since he had gotten here suddenly poured forth, and Dimitri wanted to hurl it all at the man who had manifested them all. "I'm not spending the rest of my life in this place waiting for someone to invent the wheel, I have to go home! I have to go back to Paris, I have to tell her I…" he stopped, unable to think of what to say anymore, looking like he was about to explode.

"And YOU!" he pointed an accusatory finger at Sinbad, "You're a… a… a lousy merchant! You can't barter to save your life!" He rounded on Akalp. "Look, I almost got my head chopped off while he was stealing an ivory bust of Aphrodite! I don't know how much that's worth here and now, but where I'm from I could have that thing off my hands for a heck of a lot more than what you're offering! God!" He threw his hands in the air and then collapsed onto his cushion, hiding his face in his hands. He was too spent to care at that moment.

Sinbad and Akalp exchanged a look.

"Maybe I can offer a bit more," said the merchant slowly, tugging at his beard again. "But I would have to see the goods."

"I wouldn't expect anything less. Kale is expecting you." Sinbad stood up and stretched.

Akalp stood also and bowed to the pirate captain. "A pleasure doing business with you Sinbad. I'll be in touch soon." He glanced at Dimitri. "So you don't' want him? Perhaps I will take him off of your hands. He sounds like he could be a shrewd bargainer if he can learn to control his temper." He walked towards the back of the shop. "And the ladies here love foreigners, as I'm sure you know."

"Do I ever," chuckled Sinbad. He leaned down and gave Dimitri a slap on the back. "Come on, let's go."


	19. Chapter 19

Dimitri had no idea how he had ended up out on the streets again. Most of his senses had shut down after his outburst. He was vaguely aware of Sinbad pushing him through the crowd as they made their way out of the bazaar. His eyes were glazed and no longer really paying attention to his surroundings; his feet simply moved to wherever Sinbad guided him as he tried to slowly collect his wits about him.

Sinbad, on the other hand, seemed to be keeping up a long stream of animated chatter as he alternately dragged and push Dimitri through the crowd.

" – and so that's why Jed thinks that clams want to kill him and how we escaped from the giant octopus. Yep, I almost died. It was fantastic, you should have been there."

He stopped abruptly and Dimitri ran right into his back and fell backwards.

"Do you smoke? They have some great stuff here." He was looking at a large tan building with purple fabric hanging in the windows.

"Huh?" Dimitri had ignored his entire speech up until that point, but his last comment finally snapped him out of it.

He eyed the building momentarily, trying to remember how to speak again.

"I—No, I don't smoke… Look, what are you doing?" He turned to regard Sinbad, feeling like he had aged twenty years in the past hour. "I thought you said… I thought you were done with me."

"I am!" Said Sinbad in surprise. "That doesn't mean I can't give you a sendoff. No smoking then." He started to walk again, leaving Dimitri to follow after him.

"Besides, it's not like you'll be completely stranded. I'm sure Akalp will hire you, and then maybe you can make enough to get back to wherever you came from. Lots of ships carry passengers now. Just not mine."

"And does Akalp have ships that sail to the year 1926?" Dimitri asked, following Sinbad at a subdued pace. The small comfort of possibly having a roof over his head did little to lift his mood, strangely enough.

"Not last time I checked. He's not a sailor, so I would be surprised if he had any boats at all." He peered at Dimitri over his shoulder, but apparently decided not to ask about the '1926' part. He was naturally curious, but not that curious.

"Anyway, now we just have to find somewhere to – ah! I've got it." He grabbed by Dimitri by the wrist again and they were off, leaving the bazaar and heading deeper into the heart of Constantinople.

By this point, he didn't even want to ask what their next stop was as Dimitri was pulled his way and that, until they turned into a narrow alley. Only a couple of men walked with furtive glances behind them. Dimitri looked at the buildings on either side, wondering which one they were walking into.

Sinbad strolled up to one of the doors facing the alley and rapped on it a couple of times. I small peephole was pulled open and a high voice shrieked "Sinbad!"

The door was instantly puled pen from the inside and a young woman clad in nothing but transparent veils threw herself into Sinbad's arms. He caught her easily.

"Sinbad, you're back! Madame said that you took on the whole navy and drowned, but I told her no and then everybody was so sure that you were never coming back but now you have and - oh! Please, come inside. Everyone will be so happy to see you." She grabbed his hands and pulled him inside.

Holy— that woman was wearing absolutely nothing. Dimitri averted his eyes, feeling the back of his neck heat up. He hesitated to walk in after Sinbad, but the woman grabbed onto his wrist as she flashed him a bright smile and dragged him in as well.

The door shut behind them and Dimitri was forced to turn around. The place smelled heavily of perfume and incense, making him feel lightheaded after a few sniffs. Every inch of the large, ornate room was covered in drapes and cushions.

But what really caught his eye were the occupants. Dozens of women with barely anything covering them were lounging about. Some were entertaining men, pouring them wine or else walking away with them to another room at the back. Others whispered at the new arrivals. A few even winked at him and made 'come-hither' motions.

Dimitri had never felt awkwardness as he did at that moment. "Oh boy," he muttered under his breath.

But that wasn't all, there were also men dressed in nothing more than cleverly draped sashes. Some of them lounged with the ladies, while other stood and talked amiably.

As soon as they came in though, every eye was instantly on them. There were lots of choruses of "Sinbad!" And he was almost instantly buried in people who were trying to kiss and hug him, all of them talking at once and inquiring after his health and how long he was staying and if he missed them.

Dimitri stepped aside to avoid the barrage of people. He wasn't at all surprised that Sinbad was a frequent client, although why he found it a good idea to bring him here was beyond him.

He tried not to stare at anyone in particular; he wasn't used to seeing so much skin. Back in St. Petersburg, it was so cold that everyone stayed conservatively dressed even indoors. That may also have had to do with the strict new regime his country was under.

And then there were the male prostitutes… Dimitri tried really hard not to look at them. He vaguely remembered the ancient world being all fine and dandy with men sleeping with men, but for someone coming from Soviet Russia, it was something that he had never really dwelled upon.

He felt a hand brush up against his behind and jumped as if he had been burned. He turned around only to fine one of those said men slink away with a purr. He was going to kill Sinbad, unless the guy had been smothered to death already.

"Children!" Came a stern voice from another doorway. "That's quite enough; you'll kill the poor man." A beautiful woman stood in the doorway, dressed in brilliantly red robes. Unlike the other people in the room, hers were not transparent, but they were revealingly tight, showing off the curves of a long, wonderfully curved body.

"Yes Madame," came a chorus of voices and Sinbad remerged from the pile of people, his cheeks pink from how much they had been kissed.

"Layla, my flower, my dove," Sinbad walked forward and brought up her hands to kiss them.

"You would flatter me Sinbad, if I didn't know you so well." Her eyes crinkled in a smile that was hidden behind her veil. "It's been so long since you came to visit, I had almost despaired."

Oh yeah, he'd be a crushing loss to all of womankind, Dimitri thought with a roll of his eyes. He wondered if he could slip out unnoticed since everyone in the room was making googly eyes at Sinbad.

Well, except for the one guy who was still eying his ass.

"I'm sure everyone would be happy to accompany you, Sinbad." Said Layla. Her voice was rich and husky.

Sinbad had his arms draped around two all-but-naked women. "Are Fahim and Refia still here?" The two woman made sounds of distress that he wasn't picking them.

"Here Sinbad!" Came a high voice from the corner. A slender woman in pink veils stood next to a giant of a man, one of her arms curled around his next and the other resting on his chest. The couple both bowed to Sinbad as he walked over.

"And you, young man?" Layla's eyes turned to Dimitri while Fahim and Refia lead Sinbad away.

The pirate stopped long enough in the doorway to shout, "I'm treating him, Layla! He's a friend," before he was dragged away.

Layla's dark eyes softened as she looked at him. "I'm sure we can find somebody to suit your tastes. Any friend of Sinbad's is always welcome in my establishment."

Dimitri balked as Sinbad ran off with a woman AND a man. He couldn't even begin to imagine how the hell that would work.

"Uh… that's really nice of you ma'am but I'm more of a café kind of man," he said.

"Let me have him!" A dark-haired woman appeared behind him and grabbed his wrist. "You know I love me some foreigners."

She grabbed Dimitri's chin and arched a thin eyebrow at him. "My name is Helene of Rhodes and I would be very willing to take care of you."

"Look, I really don't—" but his protests were in vain as a giggling group of women pushed him through the corridor Sinbad had disappeared through, Helene tugging at his shirt. He was most definitely going to kill the guy.


	20. Chapter 20

Sinbad grinned as he was dragged upstairs by the couple. They were always happy to see him every time he came to the city and he made sure to seek them out when he had the time. Fahim and Refia had actually been married for two years. They had met through their...similar line of work and then decided to continue on with it after they wed. Of course, that worked out just perfectly for Sinbad and left all involved very well-pleased.

Refia shut the door behind them and looked over at Sinbad. Fahim already stood by the luxurious bed, watching them both with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.

"It's been so long Sinbad," Refia cooed as she pranced over to him and braced her hands on his chest to give him a long kiss.

Fahim nodded in agreement and came up behind them to put his hands on Sinbad's waist.

"I know, but I just couldn't stay away," Sinbad smirked and kissed Refia as she pushed him backwards into her husband.

Refia gave a high, tinkling laugh. "Don't worry; we can make up for lost time."

...

Meanwhile, Dimitri had been locked against his will into a chamber with Helene. He took no notice of the gaudy decorations and sat on the large bed, putting his head in his hands. Helene sauntered over and sat next to him, her fingers coming up to rub at his shoulders.

"Poor boy, have you been out at sea long? You must have missed having a warm body to sleep next to at night," he said in her low voice.

Dimitri wanted to tell her that Vlad squashing him in his sleep on occasion wasn't really something that he missed, but he was too busy cursing Sinbad. His shoulder relaxed under her ministrations, but he was no less angry.

"Tell me your name, sailor," Helene purred.

"Look," he said, shooting up from the bed, "I appreciate that you, uh… have a job to do but I don't have any money on me."

Helene looked up at him with a pout. "But Sinbad said he was paying for you. And you are pretty cute."

Dimitri chuckled nervously. "Look, miss. I'm flattered, really. But I'm just not into…" he gestured around the room. "All of this."

Helene stood up as well, placing her hands on her hips. "But surely after stepping off the docks, you…" she suddenly clapped a hand to her mouth. "The docks… My brother! He's coming home today! Oh, I must find him!"

She pushed past Dimitri and began unlocking the door. "I must go! I'll have someone else attend to you!"

Dimitri tried to move past her through the open door, but she deftly blocked him while yelling across the hall.

"So sorry love, must dash!" she said, running off. Before he could make a run for it, another woman had slipped in and closed the door behind her, locking it. She was darker than Helene, and dressed in the same flimsy robe.

She spoke to Dimitri in a language he could not understand, which got him to thinking… how had he understood Sinbad and his crew all this time?

"Uh… beg pardon?" he asked her.

She shook her head and came forward, sliding a hand down his chest.

"Whoah, hey! I haven't agreed to anything, alright?"

She ignored whatever he was saying (she probably would have even if she had understood) and continued her ministrations.

"Please stop," Dimitri said, pushing her hands off of him. "Can't I just… go?" He pointed at the door. "You know, leave?" He mimicked walking by waving his index and middle finger downwards. "Because I'm really not interested. I've got someone back home and…"

He trailed off as the woman let out a huff at his constant chattering. She reached for him again and he jumped backwards. "Hey, lady! Clearly, I'm telling you to back off!" Now Dimitri was most certainly not one for violence against a lady, but if he had to, he would wrestle her to the ground to get to the door.

She crossed her arms and started to berate him angrily. Great, first day back on land and not only had he been spit on by a camel, bitten by a dog and almost thrown out on the streets (that one was still a possibility) but now he was being chewed out by an angry foreign prostitute.

"I never should have followed Sinbad," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The woman suddenly stopped her stream of curses and beamed at him. He looked at her confused, until she started jabbering excitedly. The only word he could pick out amidst her rapid-fire talk was 'Sinbad', after which she concluded by swooning on the bed.

He snorted. "Really? You're all over the guy too? Let me tell you something, if any of you ladies spent time on his boat, you'd see what just how 'charming' he really is."

She merely sighed wistfully again and murmured something else.

"Oh come on!" Dimitri exclaimed and threw his hands up in frustration. "The guy's a self-centered, pompous ass who would drop you in a heartbeat if one diamond was thrown the other way! Trust me, as a thief, I know what he's like."

He began furiously pacing as the woman stared at him with wide eyes. "I was thrown in the middle of antiquity with no explanation whatsoever, and I had to end up on his ship of all places! And not only that, but he expects me to clean his place up from top to bottom, and I mean, have you seen the mess all those men make? It's ridiculous!"

On and on he went, ranting about everything from Sinbad's stupid smirk to his demeaning comments. Fifteen minutes had gone by while Dimitri still ranted. The woman wasn't looking at him anymore; she had gotten bored of his tirade long ago and was busy looking at her nails.

"… And that idiot tries to sew himself up while he's drinking!" he concluded, coming to a stop from his furious pacing. He hadn't realized how much he had been talking until his own harsh breath reached his ears.

"And you know," he added as an afterthought, "I've lost my temper with him more times than I've done in my entire life before I met him."

The woman finally rose and spoke again, but all he understood was Sinbad's name in her speech.

"I'm sorry, I just don't understand. But uh… thank you for listening?" he grinned uncertainly.

She repeated her sentence, pointing at him and stressing on Sinbad's name. When Dimitri looked at her blankly she changed her tactic and moved to the tapestry hanging on the wall opposite the bed. She pulled it up and motioned him to come closer.

As he did, he could see a small hole that had been cleanly carved into the wall; it was much too perfect to have been made from age. He looked back at her and she curled her lip in a smug smile.

"You want me to be a voyeur now?" he asked, "Alright, I'm sorry but I'm leaving."

She hit the back of his head and berated him again.

"Ow!" Her nails had dug into his scalp. "Alright, alright, I'll take a peek! Just… God, what is it with women and hitting me?"

He reluctantly knelt down by the hole and peered through, hoping that whatever it was wouldn't scar him.

...

At first there was nothing to see because the other room was so dimly lit. But then the faint candlelight started to reveal exactly what Dimitri was looking in at. Several figures were writhing in the middle of a massive bed. Pillows had been either thrown or knocked onto the floor and lay in a pile.

A woman was down on her hands and knees in front of a man, her hands and mouth caressing his erection. His back was arched, revealing long, tight muscles. It wasn't until he managed to drag his head forward that it was revealed to be Sinbad. He'd lost his hat (and all of the rest of his clothes for that matter) and the candlelight made his skin look practically golden. He was speaking quietly to the woman, maybe encouraging her in her labors.

Dimitri froze upon seeing Sinbad's face. He hadn't realized that their rooms were right next to each other.

He was looking at Sinbad naked, with a woman in front of him. That was the last thing he wanted to see. And yet, his body didn't budge. His eyes wouldn't look away.

The woman trailed a hand up Sinbad's chest, touching his wound; the same place Dimitri had touched him not too long ago. His hands clenched into fists on his lap.

Another hand came into view and he suddenly realized that the man that Sinbad had gone away with was kneeling behind him, running his hands up over his rips to touch his chest, watching the woman pleasure Sinbad with her mouth.

To say that his mind was completely blank would have been an understatement. He wasn't thinking anymore, he merely saw the man pawing at Sinbad with his large hands, and Sinbad responding in turn.

Dimitri was glued to the interaction between the two men, having never seen something so explicitly forbidden before. Now that he was quiet, he could hear the sounds that Sinbad was making. Sounds that shot a line of fire directly into the pit of his stomach.

The woman had knelt next to him and pushed him aside, apparently eager for a bit of the show herself. Dimitri watched her wiggle excitedly, and his eyes flitted briefly to the door. He could definitely make a run for it while she was distracted.

Instead, he pushed her aside gently so he could peek again.

The woman let Sinbad's clock slide out of her mouth and it bobbed between his legs, clearly very happy to be there. She slithered her way up his body and whispered something in his ear that made him nod frantically. With a light laugh she lay down on the bed in front of him and spread her legs.

Sinbad was on her in an instant, covering her small breasts with his hands, kneeing her legs further apart. He said something to her that made her laugh again. They were clearly very close and knew how to please each other.

The man stayed propped up on his knees behind them, watching the two other with a smile. His hand drifted down his own stomach and he started to touch himself, stroking while watching Sinbad go at it with the woman.

Dimitri didn't even know why he wanted to look. Maybe it was because he was repressed or maybe it was because he needed to take his mind off his worries. But he couldn't stop looking at Sinbad's body. His eyes had drifted on the woman briefly, but it was Sinbad whom he couldn't look away from. The man's muscular back arched and curved, showing off every hard line at work. As his tongue darted out briefly to meet the woman's, Dimitri found himself biting his lip. Kale might have been shirtless all the time, but his body didn't provoke the same reaction as Sinbad's was currently. He couldn't understand why, and all he could do was stare longer.

The man behind Sinbad suddenly leaned forward and pressed his own erection against the curve of Sinbad's ass. The captain arced and moaned, a sound which had so much pleasure in it that it should have been made illegal.

That moan was the end of sanity for Dimitri. But more than that, the sight of Sinbad taking such pleasure from another man was more than he could bear. He pulled away from the wall and leaned against it, his breath coming in small gasps.

The woman next to him took this opportunity to peek again now that the peephole was free.

Dimitri tried to calm himself by looking down, but all he saw was the visible bulge in his pants. That was when he was hit with a cold wave of shock.

A man had just aroused him. And not just any man, but Sinbad of all people. He scrambled up to his feet and practically threw himself at the door, unlocking it as fast as he could with fumbling fingers. The woman was too preoccupied to care at this rate, and he threw it open, tumbling out unsteadily.

He ran down the hallway, heedless of the stares around him. He needed to get out of here; the place was messing with him. Ignoring the calls of the madam, he burst out onto the street.

Evening had settled in the city, and only a faint glow of pink could be seen in the sky. Dimitri bit on his knuckle, trying to make sense of everything he was feeling. The proof of his arousal was slowly disappearing in light of his panic, and now he was mostly just feeling angry.

That son of a bitch had to go and look alluring in low light, didn't he? Dimitri didn't even understand the appeal; he had never looked at a man that way before. This was not helping his already dire situation.

He wandered out of the small alley and found himself near the docks. He had half a mind to throw himself into the water and just end it all right there. Instead, his feet moved for him until he found the familiar sails of the Chimera.

He stepped on board, thankful that no one else was around, and flopped onto the deck. The images of Sinbad came unwarned at the forefront of his mind. He cursed as they sent a bolt of arousal to his groin. Why was this happening now?


	21. Chapter 21

Sinbad walked back to the dock several hours later in a much better mood than he had started the day. Layla had told him that Dimitri had left a long while earlier. He shrugged. The guy was probably long gone by now, disappeared into the depths of the city so that he would never have to look at a ship again.

The thought made him grimace. He had actually started to get a bit attached to the cab – to Dimitri. He had a quick wit and a temper that flared up like a match. And he wasn't too hard to look at either, come to think of it. Maybe he should have made a move on him sooner.

Oh well.

The brothels that he frequented had taught him to enjoy pleasure in all of its forms starting from a young age. Though some might consider him a bit of a degenerate for it, he rarely listened. His crew knew about his habits and didn't care. To Sinbad, every person presented an opportunity for gain, whether it was through money, pleasure, or mental stimulation. All of it was his for the taking.

He jogged up the gangplank and onto the Chimera. It was completely deserted. The entire crew had taken the night off to spend enjoyably in the city, free from the confines of the ship for the next few hours. The night watch made sure that his cargo stayed safe while the crew played. Sinbad shook his head as he walked into his cabin and lit the lanterns. They would probably come straggling back in the late hours of the morning and then they could see about getting their cargo unloaded.

He sat down on the bed with a sigh and pulled off his boots. The evening had been very well spent. He flopped backwards onto the cushions and tried not to think about a certain pair of brown eyes and a sharp tongue.

As luck would have it, Dimitri had spent the rest of the evening brooding and almost tearing his hair out in the empty crew's quarters. He had heard the creaking of someone moving above deck and had popped his head out just in time to see the door to the captain's cabin closing.

He felt his cheeks heat up despite himself, and with that, subsequent self-directed rage. Well, he was also furious at Sinbad for… for being so… under the light. He marched over to the door and didn't even bother to knock this time, flinging it open that it almost broke.

"You…" he seethed, pointing accusingly at Sinbad.

Sinbad jumped and pressed a hand to his heart. He was going to need to start locking his door if people kept barging in on him like this. He looked over and saw Dimitri standing in the low lantern light.

"Didn't I let you go?" He asked, somewhat confused.

"You left me in the hands of this foreign hellcat who kept trying to rip my shirt off!" His hands moved about wildly as he spoke, "I mean, she was very nice and she listened to me rant but that's not the point!"

If looks could kill, his glare would have fried Sinbad into a human crisp by now.

Sinbad rubbed his jaw and yawned. "I'm confused."

"Don't," Dimitri hissed, "Don't you ever take me to one of those again. I don't like being thrown into a room with an unknown woman, especially without warning me first! Things might be different but in my time, we at least have the decency to tell each other before we go to establishments like that!"

Sinbad just looked at him. "Why would I be taking you anywhere? I fired you. Get off of my ship." He lay back down and put a pillow over his head. Why had he wanted to keep this guy?

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere!" He loomed over Sinbad's bed, resisting the urge to punch the man in the face. A bratty orphan with an annoying mutt he could learn to deal with, but this selfish pirate? He had to take it one step further and push all of Dimitri's buttons (including some he really wished he hadn't).

"I am staying on this ship. And I will stay on it until I find a way to get back home, and I don't care how many years it takes, you're just going to have to get used to it."

Sinbad pulled back of the pillow and sat up, propping his elbows on his knees. "No," he said flatly.

"Yes," Dimitri shot back, "I'm not spending the rest of my life adjusting to this primitive world, and I'll do whatever it takes to go home." And if that meant suffering around Sinbad and the torturous images at night, so be it.

"Last time I checked, _I _was the captain. Not you. Why the hell would I want you on my ship? You're grumpy, you back talk me in front of my crew, you're useless with a sword, and you ran away when I took you to Layla's." He ticked off his fingers. "Oh! And let's not forget that you seem to think that you're from a country t_hat doesn't even exist!_"

"It doesn't exist because it hasn't been formed yet, do I have to keep repeating it to you?" Dimitri shouted, "You know, I thought Anya was the most stubborn person I had ever met, but oho, no. No, you proved me wrong!"

He was leaning down to stare at Sinbad straight in the face, unafraid of his stern gaze as he had always been.

"So you want to join up again. Fine. Why are you so angry?" He yawned into his hand, not quailing at all under Dimitri's fierce look.

There was no way in hell he was going to tell Sinbad his reasons behind his anger. He'd rather throw himself back into the sea first.

"Angry? I'm not angry!" He said loudly, "I'm just peachy! In fact, I've never been better!"

Sinbad snorted and pulled off his shirt, apparently getting ready for bed. "You keep getting spun up over nothing, cabin boy; I might have to teach you some manners."

"You?" Dimitri snorted, "You're the last person I'd go to for an etiquette lesson. I'm surprised you haven't gotten skewered a dozen times already trying to order a sandwich with the way you talk!"

"You got a problem with the way I talk?" He walked up to Dimitri and the height difference between them was suddenly much more obvious. Dimitri was probably six inches taller than the captain, at least.

Dimitri's eyes lingered on his now very close bare chest, images of earlier coming back unwanted in his mind's eye. He let out a frustrated huff as he tore his eyes away to look back up at Sinbad's face. Unfortunately, that just aggravated him even more.

"I have a problem with everything you do, but I swear I will put up with all of it if I can just find a way to get home, go back to where I belong, and forget that you ever existed—"

"Oh would you please just shut the hell up!" Sinbad grabbed him by the front of his shirt and slammed his mouth against his, effectively cutting off Dimitri's angry tirade.

Dimitri's eyes widened comically as he felt himself being pulled up flush against Sinbad. His gums scraped his teeth painfully as a pair of lips collided against his and he let out a muffled cry of shock.

Sinbad chuckled against his mouth, twining their tongues together. The cabin boy's mouth was soft and willing and Sinbad had no problem with taking full advantage of that.

His erection returned to life in his loose pants. He should have been satisfied for days after the work out that Fahim and Refia had put him through, but apparently it was as enthusiastic about the situation as he was.

Dimitri could feel just how hard Sinbad's body was underneath his clothes, pressed as he was against it. His entire frame was shaking with suppressed arousal and rage. It wasn't until he felt something he didn't want to think about nudge against his thigh that he jumped and pulled away in panic. He stared at Sinbad disbelievingly and wiped his lips furiously on his sleeve.

Unable to think or say anything, he turned on his heel and fled, not even bothering to slam the door.

Sinbad stroked his goatee, his other hand resting on his waist. Dimitri had disappeared out of the door and left it hanging open. That had been very interesting indeed. If he had been a betting man, he would have put gold pieces on getting punched in the jaw for doing that. Instead he had been shocked when Dimitri had all but gone to pieces.

He smiled. Maybe this night had more potential than he had originally expected. He slipped quietly out of the door and shut it behind him.


	22. Chapter 22

The cool night air would do him good, Dimitri thought feverishly. He needed to calm down and stop thinking about what just happened.

Too bad it wouldn't leave his brain. He kicked at a barrel and let out an aggravated yell. Everything was spiraling so wildly out of his control Dimitri was surprised he wasn't falling over in a faint.

He slumped behind the stack of barrels and raked his hands through his bangs. He tried to think of rational explanations for his intense arousal towards another man. Perhaps being stuck in this timeline was messing with him biologically. He had never held any attraction for men before, and he didn't see why he had to begin now. Everything about Sinbad was contemptible if you ignored his physique and the fact that he was a good kisser—

"No, no, no! Stop it!" He rubbed his knuckles against his forehead, hoping the pain would inflict some sense into him.

It was all of his anger, he decided. All of that pent up rage was just manifesting itself through good old-fashioned testosterone. That had to affect his bodily functions in some way, right?

His low level of biology workings aside, Dimitri was convinced that that was all there was to it. If he were to be attracted to a man (and he didn't say that he was), it definitely wouldn't be to a smug jackass like Sinbad.

His thoughts flitted back to Anya, the woman he loved. For the thousandth time, he wondered what she was doing in the far future. Was she enjoying her Parisian ball with her grandmother? Had she put him away in her past entirely?

Guilt twisted at his gut like a knife. He was no better than Sinbad, he thought bitterly. How could he claim he loved her even as—deep down, despite all of his denial—he was so completely aroused by someone else, and a man at that?

Dimitri closed his eyes and tried to conjure up Anya's face into his mind. He tried to imagine her as nude as the girls in the brothel. His mind's eye drew the skinny outline of her body as he guessed it would look underneath her clothes. The Anya in his head looked at him through hooded eyes and he murmured her name. One of her hands trailed from her slender neck to her breasts. Her fingers thickened and turned rougher as her bosom expanded and turned into a hard male torso. Her face morphed into Sinbad's, set in a cocky grin.

"Oh God…" Dimitri hit the back of the barrels as his body twitched. He vividly remembered the kiss from earlier, and the strangely comforting press of Sinbad's hard body.

His hand hovered over his lap as he hesitated. He could feel himself getting aroused all over again, along with his burning shame. Slowly, he rubbed at the bulge in his pants and hissed. He hadn't done this since he was a young teenager.

He wanted to stop and yet he didn't; the fear of condemnation still loomed over him from the twentieth century. But Sinbad had a stronger hold on him at the moment.

His breath hitched as he slid his fingers up and down, pawing at himself between his legs. Apart from the waves and the creaking of the Chimera, Dimitri's low moans were the only sound heard by the open night air.

He desired more, his initial misgivings slowly ebbing as he gave way to more primal urges. He unbuttoned his pants and slowly slid a hand in while his other hand rubbed at his suddenly burning neck.

"God… Damn you… Sinbad… You… Asshole," he said through gritted teeth. He stroked himself at an agonizingly slow pace, afraid that if he moved too fast the entire world would shatter at the sin he was committing.

Unknowing of the part he was currently playing in Dimitri's fantasies, Sinbad had climbed up into the rigging of the ship and was currently perched on his toes directly over Dimitri. He had followed him out, expecting to see a good show of the man going into a rage and maybe kicking something. He'd gotten that and more now.

He'd almost laughed, watching Dimitri mentally flay himself. His entertainment had quickly faded when the object of his mirth started to touch himself. Now he was watching with wide eyes, trying to catch every detail in the lantern light. His mouth watered and he leaned further over the edge of the spar that he was perched on to get a better look.

Dimitri had thrown his head back against the barrels, lost in his ministrations. He stroked himself very slowly still, bent on making it last as long as possible.

He didn't know if his reimagining of Sinbad's naked body was idealized in his mind, but either way it shot bolts of arousal to his already straining cock. He groaned and twisted his head to the side, his chest heaving with every sharp breath.

Above him, Sinbad's tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip. He desperately wanted to go down there, to replace Dimitri's hand with his own. Would he run? Would he decide that maybe he was better off taking his chances in the city. He frowned as he wondered if Dimitri was thinking about that girl. Anyo, or whatever her name was.

That was the final straw for him. He grabbed onto a rope and swung down, landing lightly on his toes a little ways away.

The sudden 'thunk' near him pulled Dimitri straight out of his fantasies and right back into cold, harsh reality. He cursed under his breath as he struggled to tuck himself back into his pants. He should've known someone would walk by; fate seemed to want to throw shit at him at every turn.

"Oh don't stop on my account." Sinbad walked into the ring of light. His eyes were shadowed and he wasn't smiling. He hadn't bothered to put his shirt back on either. His dark eyes swept up and down Dimitri, with a barely noticeable pause at his groin. "For me? You shouldn't have."

Shit didn't cut it. A giant pile of manure would have been a better expression. Dimitri felt his insides shrink as Sinbad of all people came into sight. He shot up and pulled his shirt down, trying to look anywhere else but at the man in front of him.

"I'll just go jump off the boat," he muttered, striding away with whatever speck of dignity he had left. He doubted he would ever have any again, and the last thing he needed to hear was Sinbad make him feel even worse than the miserable wretch he felt he was at the moment.

Sinbad came up behind him faster than lighting, one hand wrapped around his neck to hold him in place, the other palming his arousal through his pants. "Did I say that you could go anywhere?" He hissed.

Dimitri almost choked at the firm hold currently blocking his windpipe. He struggled enough to feel it loosen but lost all of his breath as Sinbad's other hand drifted to where his own had been mere moments before. He now understood exactly what people meant when they said they wanted to kiss and kill someone simultaneously.

"If you have any shred of human decency, can you please let me go?" he whispered brokenly.


	23. Chapter 23

There wasn't any way that was going to happen at this point. Any 'shred of human decency' had been forgotten the moment he felt Dimitri's erection kick against his hand. He should have been stated to the point of disinterest, but instead felt desire pooling in his belly. He wasn't one to force people, but every bit of body language that he was getting right now from the cabin boy was urging him on. His mouth might have been saying 'no', but the burning heat against his hands was all but begging him to keep going.

"Not happening, cabin boy." He tightened his grip and started to drag Dimitri backwards. For all that he was taller the other man also had substantially less muscle and so it was relatively easy to maneuver him. He wanted this and damn it, now he would have it. It was unfair to torment him with that show and then not expect some sort of action to stem from it.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" He thrashed in Sinbad's grip, wanting the night to end. He wanted to disappear, to be swallowed up whole by the ground and end his mortification. The last thing he needed was to be near the man who elicited such strong reactions that the normally cool-headed Dimitri had always prided himself in never succumbing to.

"Let you go? Fine." Sinbad's hands suddenly released him and he was sent sprawling backwards onto the hard deck. He was only given a moment's reprieve from the sensual onslaught though, because in the next moment Sinbad was on top of him, seizing his wrists and pinning them over his head in a surprisingly strong grip.

Dimitri grunted through his teeth; the depths to which he got enraged around Sinbad were reaching new records. Still he tried to get away, but Sinbad's lower body had his legs pinned down.

"You aren't going anywhere." Sinbad's voice was deep and husky as he leaned down and dragged his tongue up the side of Dimitri's neck, ignoring his struggles to get free.

The wet contact made Dimitri cease his struggling and instead arch his body up with a low moan. His earlier arousal came back with full force and he suddenly favored quenching his desire over getting away. "You asshole," he panted, even as he bucked against Sinbad.

"Stop talking."

Sinbad's hands slid down into the open flap of his open pants, caressing his stomach. His wrist brushed against his erection. It was just a casual brush but it made him pause, as if waiting to see how Dimitri would react.

It turned out to be a very favorable reaction, with a sharp intake of breath and a shudder. If Dimitri had been told a few weeks ago that another man's hands were turning him into a quivering mess, he would have asked the speaker to hand over the vodka stash they had clearly been drinking from. Now, at this very moment, he wanted nothing more than for Sinbad's hands to keep doing what they were doing.

"You like that?" There was a flash of teeth in the dark as Sinbad grinned. He rotated his wrist and suddenly his rough palm was caressing the length of Dimitri's erection.

The smugness of Sinbad's voice was almost enough to make him retort… almost. He was too lost in the pleasant friction to form words. His hips rolled upwards like waves to rub harder against Sinbad's hand.

Sinbad's eyes slid shut for a minute but snapped back open almost at once. He wanted to watch this – he refused to be cheated out of such a show by his own pleasure. It was much too good to miss. He bit down on his bottom lip and curled his fingers around the hardness that was being ground against his hand. It wasn't that thick but god it was long. He blew out a breath. This was going to be so much fun.

Dimitri wasn't going to last much longer at this rate. His eyes, which had been closed through most of Sinbad's ministrations, now slowly opened so he could look up into the face of the man who was his undoing.

Sinbad's equally apparent arousal only served to heat up his lower region even more and he let out a particularly loud, guttural groan before biting his lip to stifle it. The last thing he needed was for someone to walk by and hear them.

This couldn't last very long. They were both too spun up for taking this slowly to even be an option. Sinbad leaned down harder on Dimitri's wrists to hold him in place, stroking him up and down and then running his thumb over the tip of his erection. It was wet with precum.

Dimitri bucked violently, his shoulders aching from the strain of having his arms pinned up for so long. If Sinbad kept touching him there, he was going to come in mere seconds. His lower abdomen tightened, his breaths coming out even louder and shorter as he came closer and closer to release. His tongue darted out to lick his too-dry lips, no longer caring about his dignity or his appearance.

"You are so damn easy," growled Sinbad, tightening his grip.

And of course, Sinbad would find the one comment to say at a time like this that just pierced through the pleasurable fog of Dimitri's mind and hit his irritation button.

"You—" he lifted his head to say, but as Sinbad's grip tightened he threw it back in a wordless cry as he came. His back arched and shuddered and he spent himself over Sinbad's hand, momentarily thoughtless.

Sinbad looked down to watch Dimitri spend himself, splashing his seed all over his hand. He kept stroking him until he knew he would be too sensitive to bear any more stimulation. He looked back up and met Dimitri's eyes and then slowly brought his hand up and licked off his fingers.

"I what?"

Dimitri panted as he lay completely still, waiting for his mind to clear up. His arms were now freed and lying on either side of him. He kept his gaze on Sinbad. Seeing him lick off the evidence of Dimitri's release sent small after-tingles through him. He had always had very quick reflexes, and it didn't take long for him to recover, or for the horror to start settling in. He had just let Sinbad— and he hadn't done anything— and he had liked it. "Oh God no," he whispered hoarsely as his fingers flew to tuck himself back in and close his pants.

Sinbad's eyebrows shot up and he pulled away. He'd seen the pain and loathing creep back into Dimitri's face and suddenly realized that he'd miscalculated. "Dimitri – " he started.

He didn't want to hear a single thing that Sinbad was about to spew; probably more condescension that Dimitri had so easily let him do that.

He punched Sinbad hard in the shoulder and scrambled up before running for the crew's quarters. He was a weak, despicable being, he thought as he stumbled down the steps. He managed to fall into his hammock with a barely repressed shudder.

Sinbad remained on deck, his back pressed up against the rail of the ship, starring after where Dimitri had vanished. The last time he'd made a mistake like this, it had cost him three crew members. He looked down at his hands, his head hung low, and let out a long sigh. He doubted that he'd lost himself a cabin boy – Dimitri had been to insistent about staying with them to let something like . . . well, this stop him.

Now though, he may have ruined any potential friendship or respect that he might have otherwise had. He pushed himself to his feet and walked slowly back into his cabin, shutting and locking the door behind him. He never should have followed him.

Dimitri had his own angst to stew in, and he was ignorant of Sinbad's turmoil. Both his arms were flung over his eyes. God, was he so weak of a man? How could he give in so easily to lust?

You betrayed Anya, a spiteful little voice said in his mind. How could he claim to love her only to give into another's advances, and a man's at that? His chest tightened so painfully that he couldn't breathe. He was despicable; he hadn't changed. Despite everything he had gone through since leaving St. Petersburg, he was still acting on his own selfish desires, but now he had leaped on impulse rather than planning. His entire way of living was unraveling rapidly before him.

Being stuck in a different time had to be messing him inside, he insisted stubbornly, he wasn't meant to be here. And certainly the stress of it had made him weak and in need of temporary respite. That was why he had let Sinbad do it; it could have been anyone else and he would have let them.

Except that it was a big fat lie.

No one else brought Dimitri's blood pressure up so quickly. No one else certainly angered him as quickly (and he usually was so collected too). And something told him he wouldn't have been transfixed at any other crewman naked as he had with Sinbad. He shuddered at the thought of Rat in his birthday suit.

No, Dimitri was genuinely attracted to the man, for reasons beyond his understanding. And he had enjoyed that little… session, or whatever it was. If he had felt a modicum of disgust, he might have lessened his self-loathing. But even now, the very recent events brought up a dull throb of desire. He had enjoyed it a lot; he couldn't deny it. Somehow, this terrified him a lot more than the prospect of being stuck in this time forever.


	24. Chapter 24

It had become an unspoken game of avoiding-each-other-while-on-the-ship lately. Dimitri had taken to walking out into the city just as Sinbad had, both going in opposite directions and getting themselves lost in the crowd.

Trying to forget the memories of that night was like trying to ignore a bear chewing your arm off. Every night, Dimitri lay in his hammock, terrified to fall asleep lest he dream of their little encounter. It had happened a few times already, and trying to cover up a morning erection from the rest of the crew was no small feat.

His guilt and shame weren't waning, and much to his consternation, neither was his arousal. He couldn't even entertain thoughts of going home after what he had done. How could he possibly live with himself? Dimitri found it much easier to run off and distract himself with the goings-on of Constantinople than to dwell on something he was too frightened to understand.

Sinbad wasn't having an easy time of it either. The memories kept him up and pacing long into the night. Should he apologize? No, he was Sinbad. He never apologized. There was that nagging feeling that he should though, or at least do something! He'd tried to approach Dimitri three times already, but every single time the guy managed to find something pressing that would suddenly call him away.

He wouldn't sleep until late at night when the lanterns had gone dark. And the dreams . . . they were almost enough to drive him to do something extreme.

Now he stood up on the quarterdeck with his arms crossed. This wasn't a matter that he was going to let his crew know was eating at him, so he remained cool and aloof has he watched his cargo be unloaded.

It was another hot and sunny day, judging by how much the men were sweating as they heaved the priceless artifacts from the Chimera's last plunder. Dimitri could see Sinbad standing guard over their work. Just seeing him tightened the already tangled knots in the pit of his stomach, a feeling that both thrilled and horrified him. He took the opportunity of a pair of men carrying a large vase passing by to hide behind them. He kept up their pace as they walked down to the docks, and then he took off at a sprint, eager to lose himself in the crowd. With a sigh of relief at being by the camel market again, he began his usual route that he had developed now.

Did he really think that he was fooling anybody? Trying to hide from pirates was like holding up a sign that said 'I'm hiding!' in bright colors. Sinbad effectively ignored him by turning on his heel and walking over to his map table. He was still debating as to what their next destination would be. The nice part about being a pirate rather than a merchant was that it was up to him as to where he sailed, not his passengers or his cargo.

"Sinbad?" Kale came up next to him, shirtless as usual and carrying a heavy chest on his shoulder.

"Hmm?" He picked up a compass and lined it up along his map in a completely pointless attempt to look busy. Without a destination he might as well have been juggling with the mapping tools for all of the good it would do.

Kale set down the chest and it jangled cheerfully. "It's Akalp's payment. He said that you should count it." He used a boot to kick open the chest. Hundreds of gold pieces gleamed in lustrous glory inside the velvet-lined strong box. Normally the sight would have been enough to make Sinbad drool, but he just wasn't in the mood right now.

The clink of coins against each other made Jin and Li stop their business to stare at the chest and its contents.

"Five on Sinbad spending it all before we leave," Jin hissed at his brother.

Sinbad turned on them and glared. "We aren't spending any of it, off with you."

They hurried away, waiting until they were out of earshot for Li to whisper back, "You're on."

The rest of the crew steered clear of Sinbad and his mountain of gold. Something had been off with him lately, much as he tried to hide it.

"Akalp has never cheated us. It's all there." Sinbad slammed the lid on the chest without a second glance. Normally he would have taken the twins up on that bet and done his best to spend the whole lot in one night and at as many bars as they could, but not right now. The thought was giving him a sick feeling in his stomach.

Kale walked over to where he was pouring over the maps. "Sinbad, is something –"

"Is something what?" He snapped.

Kale's eyebrows shot up. "I was going to ask if something was bothering you, but now I guess I don't have to."

When he was certain Sinbad was looking the other way, he snuck out from his hiding spot and hurried down to the docks as fast as he could.

Sinbad and Kale both straightened to watch their cabin boy bolt down the street and into the city.

"I wonder where he's going," mused Kale.

Sinbad snorted. "Probably to cause somebody else no end of misery."

Dimitri in the meantime had found himself at his now-favorite (seeing as this was the only part of the city he was familiar with) brooding spot. He sat by the large fountain where children were busy splashing each other and rested his chin on his hand. Here, he let his eyes drift to passers-by, cooking up many hypothetical schemes on how he could take their money pouches. It was a good way to keep him occupied.

A group of women walked by and tittered at him from behind their veils.

He raised an eyebrow at them as they passed. Great, now his concentration had been broken. His thoughts inevitably strayed to Sinbad. He kicked the dusty ground in frustration and turned away from the crowd to stare at his morose reflection in the fountain water.

Why had Sinbad done that, anyway? Was it just to mess with him? Surely the man wasn't that cruel. Regardless, it had worked. All he could remember now was how good it had felt and how his dreams wouldn't leave him alone about it.

"If I ever get home, I'm going to need extensive therapy," he muttered under his breath.


	25. Chapter 25

Back at the ship, Sinbad had returned to his maps while the crew and the grunts hired by Akalp unloaded the rest of the cargo. Back to Syracuse? No, he had just been there. Greece? No, nothing interesting going on right now. Fiji? Fiji was always an option . . .

"Sinbad, what's going on with you and Dimitri?"

He let his head drop onto the desk. "Nothing. There is nothing going on."

Kale snorted. "Right. So that's why you've both been avoiding each other for the last few days? I thought you were firing him, Sinbad."

"I did! He came back! It was like trying to get rid of something that…something that doesn't want to be fired! I don't know."

The first mate turned and walked over to the wheel, leaning against it while still managing to keep an eye on the crew. "So we have a cabin boy. Why do you keep looking at each other when you don't think anybody is watching?"

Sinbad's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "I – He – we do not!"

"Mmhm." The response was diplomatically neautral.

"And you! Don't you have enough work to do not to have to be spying on other people? What did I hire you for anyway? You're fired, Kale." Sinbad ripped his hat off and threw it on the map table.

Kale just looked at him.

"And hurry up and get those crates unloaded, we're going to Cairo," Sinbad spat as he stormed down off the quarterdeck and into his cabin. The door was slammed shut.

The crew all stopped what they were doing and looked up at Kale expectantly.

He looked back at them, completely unaffected by the temper of the captain. "Well, you heard him. We're going to Cairo."

…

Unfortunately for Dimitri, there was only so much brooding he could do before people really began to take notice. He did stick out more than the usual foreigner, what with his "futuristic" clothing and all. He reluctantly made his way back to the ship, still mentally tearing his hair out over that sonofabitch of a captain who was probably counting his money and being his normal unaffected cocky self. The thought made Dimitri want to punch a wall. Why should he be the only one suffering a crisis? It was all Sinbad's fault for being so… he didn't even have a word to describe him.

As he approached the docks, he prayed that fate give him a small respite and that Sinbad would be nowhere on deck.

…

As luck would have it, Sinbad was nowhere in sight when Dimitri climbed onto the Chimera. The sun was starting to set over Constantinople, casting streamers of pink and purple along the undersides of the clouds. A bell was calling people to worship. Seagulls fought over scraps along the edge of the docks. And Sinbad was still closed in his cabin.

Kale watched as Dimitri made his uneasy way onto the deck. The ship was quiet. Most of the crew was either below deck or back in the city, enjoying their last few hours of dry land.

He waited until Dimitri noticed him and then jerked his head, motioning the cabin boy over to come and stand with him.

Well, at least Kale wasn't Sinbad. He made his way next to him and looked out over the water.

"Productive day?" he asked conversationally.

Kale shrugged amiably, watching the harbor. "I suppose you could say that. You?"

"I saved a child from drowning and I got engaged to a Persian queen. The usual," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Sounds exciting. That probably beats going to Cairo by a little bit." Kale straightened and rolled his shoulders. Out in the harbors a small fleet of fishing ships was being tied off on the other side of the harbor.

Dimitri looked at him, brow furrowed. "Cairo?" he repeated, "What's there in Cairo?"

Kale looked up as he thought about it. "Oh, women. Gold. Temples. About the same things as here but with a lot more sand."

"Riveting," Dimitri replied curtly. He drummed his fingers on the railing, eager for dinner to be ready. It may not be Parisian coq au vin, but he wasn't one to complain about food.

"It's better than Fiji, at least. That's always an option when Sinbad is deciding where we're going next."

Just hearing Sinbad's name made Dimitri's throat tighten. "Cairo's fine," he said to veer his mind away, "I've always wanted to see the pyramids in moonlight."

Kale was watching him closely. "Dimitri, what's going on between you and Sinbad?" He'd never been one for subtlety.

"Nothing," Dimitri said curtly, turning to go.

"Nothing? That must be why he watches you every time he thinks you aren't looking." Kale rubbed his cleanly shaven head and leaned back on the rail.

Dimitri stopped and turned around without thinking. "He what?"

"You heard me." Kale's voice was mellow and calm, the kind of voice that lured people into talking without realizing it.

Dimitri couldn't help but think that Kale could be a really good partner-in-crime when it came to swindling.

"Well, don't look to me for answers. It's not like I'm holding a big sign telling him to stare," he said, crossing his arms.

"And that's why you keep looking back when you think he isn't looking? Of course."

"I don't—" he started forcefully, but his voice gradually went quieter, "Do that." Damn Kale for looking so intimidating.

"You're a bad liar, Dimitri." He looked back over at the cabin boy. "Sinbad has been moody and distant and you've been running off every chance you get. What's going to happen when you're trapped on the ship together? Still going to try to avoid each other?"

"Hey, hey!" he said, "I take offense to that. I'm an excellent liar under normal circumstances. This—" he pointed at the boat's floor, "Is not normal! And how should I know why Sinbad's so moody, he's the one who—" He stopped himself and waved carelessly. "Forget it."

"Who-?" Kale raised an eyebrow.

"Look, just forget it, alright?" he snapped. Of course, he instantly regretted it; Kale was probably one of the people he got along with the best on this ship. He sighed and rubbed at his forehead. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, it's just… God, I've never met anyone who gets to me so fast."

"Is that a bad thing? I mean, Sinbad has a hot temper but he cares about what happens to his crew. That makes him a lot different from other captains I've worked for."

Did Sinbad give a hand job to every crew member? Dimitri couldn't help but wonder with no small amount of venom.

"Yeah, how much does he show you he cares?" he asked hotly, "Does he hand you gift baskets and flowers?"

Kale shook his head and smiled. "No, but he does make sure that we get our fair share of any take. And he looks out for us. Did you see any of the crew die when we took that navy ship?"

The last thing he needed to hear was how great Sinbad was. "Look, I appreciate you being loyal to your captain and all, but I really think it's best that Sinbad and I just keep contact to a minimum." He spoke with a tone of finality he hoped Kale would pick up on.

"Wouldn't it just be easier to join a different ship if you're so eager to keep away from the captain?"

Dimitri quickly opened his mouth, struggling to find a retort. When none came out, he promptly closed it and looked away with a huff.

"It's not that simple," he said, "What do you want me to do, go kiss and make up? Oh God, I just said kiss. Great, now I've said it twice." He dropped his forehead on the railing.

Oh, so that was what this was about. Kale chewed on the inside of his lip, trying to figure out how to word this.

"Dimitri . . . you just have to tell Sinbad 'no' and he'll leave you alone. He's not the sort of person to force somebody into a . . . situation like that."

That was clearly not what had happened, Dimitri thought. Unfortunately, there was that tiny, tiny (fine, it wasn't so tiny but let him have some delusions) part of him that didn't want to say 'no'. And he was so tired of keeping it all bottled up. Kale was probably the best person to talk to.

"Look," he said, trying to meet Kale's eyes, which required him to look up, "It's complicated. I know you don't think so," he said hurriedly before Kale could interrupt, "But it is for me. Do you know what happens to men caught being with other men in my time? At best, you get sent to prison. Most of the world pretends that it doesn't exist." He flattened his hair in a nervous habit. "I've never even thought about it before, why would I? I love a woman who I want to go back to, I…" He sighed. "I can't be attracted to a man."

Kale walked over to a barrel and sat down. Rat had come up from below deck and was swinging through the riggings to light the lanterns. A light came on in Sinbad's cabin.

He pressed his hands together and sighed into them. "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Dimitri admitted. If only he didn't feel so helpless. "I don't even know if I'll ever go back home." He swallowed the lump in his throat that had formed at the thought.

Kale reached over and patted his back with a hand the size of his head. "If it were up to me," he said slowly. "I would enjoy myself where I could. It sounds like there's enough trouble waiting for you back in your home to have to worry about it here as well."

His knees buckled as Kale's large hand sent him reeling forwards. He grabbed onto the railing for support.

"Thanks for the advice," he choked out, having just had the breath knocked out of him.

"Any time." Kale stood up and walked down the steps to the crew's quarters, leaving Dimitri above deck with his own thoughts.

He glanced at Sinbad's lit cabin as an internal battle raged within him. He decided then and there that he would stay on the ship and sail to Cairo for certain. The rest, he would think about tomorrow. He didn't believe he'd get much sleep tonight anyway.


	26. Chapter 26

The next day, the Chimera departed Constantinople. The city's bustle slowly quieted to the gentle rolling of the waves. Dimitri was a bit sad to see the city disappear again, but the rest of the crew seemed happy enough to be back out at sea.

Now that he could no longer run off for the day, he had taken to mopping the end of the ship Sinbad wasn't currently at and ignoring Kale's repeated glances his way.

A large group of the crew had gathered on the deck to play dice as the city faded and then disappeared on the horizon. Other ship sailed around them, traveling to and from the great city down the channel. Most of them were fishing boats, but others were merchant ships or military. All of them gave the Chimera and her distinctive blood-red sails a wide berth.

"I bet you ten silvers that it'll happen before we get to Cyprus," said Li as he tossed the dice and then scooped up a handful of playing chips.

"What? No way. It'll be two days after Cyprus before we get to Cairo," scoffed his twin.

Kale shook his head as he snatched the dice from Li. "You're both wrong."

"Hey!" The twins looked up at him with mirrored expressions of annoyance.

"What day are you betting on then?" Jin asked, trying to jump up to grab his dice back.

Kale put his hand on Jin's face and pushed him backwards, keeping the dice. It was his turn anyway. "I bet you five gold pieces that it'll happen tonight."

"Whaaat?" Li exclaimed while Jin fell backwards, "Tonight? Are you crazy?"

Kale laughed and then tossed the dice. "Not last time I checked. Five gold pieces on tonight, just you wait."

Rat swung down and landed next to Kale, snatching up the dice for his role. "Are you sure? That is a very risky bet, I think. Even I would give it at least three days." He rubbed his fingers together. "The mood. It isn't good now."

Kale just leaned back on his elbows with a knowing smile.

Dimitri was ignorant of this mysterious bet as he was on the other side of the ship, mopping mechanically at this point. He still wasn't thrilled to be the ship janitor, but the mindless task was a good way to tire him out for the day.

He kept casting surreptitious glances to the ship's wheel that Sinbad was currently steering. His conversation with Kale had not simplified things for him. He couldn't just give in to this wild attraction. He had to think about the after-effects and how this would change him. He tightened his grip on the mop handle; he couldn't no matter how much he wanted to. It didn't help that he still thought Sinbad was a pompous ass. Really, if he had to be attracted to a man, it couldn't have been someone more sophisticated? His tastes seemed to run towards royalty after all. He jokingly wondered whether Sinbad knew any princes.

Sinbad was expertly maneuvering the ship through the water, his eyes fixed on the open ocean that lay ahead. Once they made it out of the trade lanes he could relax, but until then he wanted to have full control of his ship and where she went. And he was especially not looking at Dimitri. Not at all. Even a little bit.

Jed was busy distributing pickles and eggs around to the crew. When he reached Dimitri, he handed him a pickle.

"Uh... thanks but no thanks," Dimitri said, "I think I'm done with those for the rest of my life."

"TAKE IT, BOY!" Jed thundered so loudly that Dimitri immediately snatched the pickle from him. Jed gave a satisfied grunt. "It wards off the spirits of mollusks long past."

Dimitri waited until he went to go pester someone else before tossing the pickle overboard.

…

They reached open water that evening and left behind a majority of the sea traffic. Fishing boats didn't venture out this far because of the strong currents. The crew had all formed their usual bickering line while they waited for dinner, elbowing and jostling each other while they traded colorful insults. The food was steak and baked potatoes, a bit of a treat to celebrate their departure. The crew seemed particularly enthusiastic about this, if the swearing and shouting was anything to go by.

Dimitri stood in line with the rest of them, eager to fill himself with something that wasn't pickles and eggs. He sat next to Rat with his loaded plate and dug in heartily.

"I see you are not bringing the captain his plate today!" Rat said through a mouthful of potato. He was eating with his hands as he always did and often left a mess on the table.

Dimitri shrugged. "I wasn't asked to."

"Sinbad took his food and went back to his cabin already," Jin said.

"Yeah, we haven't seen him talk with the crew for days now," Li observed.

"I wonder why," Dimitri muttered, even as he shifted uncomfortably.

Kale eyed him over his own plate. "Yeah, he's usually so social. I wonder if something is bothering him." As if he didn't know.

Rat laughed and almost spit out a bit of potato. "Bothering the captain? No, he is not bothered by anything. Not even sea monsters!"

Jed shuddered and looked like he was going to be sick. "Can we not talk about sea monsters?"

"Sorry Jed."

Dimitri suddenly felt his appetite disappear due to the jangle of nerves rattling about in his stomach. It was as if his mind had suddenly made the decision for him while he had been listening to everyone's banter. If anything, he needed to straighten things out with Sinbad. They couldn't just go on with tiptoeing around each other. He pushed his potato around on his plate as he tried to steel himself for later.

"Dimitri, go get Sinbad's dishes. He's probably busy with his maps," said Kale.

He was planning on going anyway, but at least now he had a reason in case Sinbad slammed the door in his face. He walked out; heedless of the smirks the others were casting each other behind his back.

As he made his way to the captain's cabin, he tried to think of the various ways this ensuing conversation might go. In his paranoia, he saw every single one ending with Sinbad throwing him overboard. There was no need to panic this much; he tried to tell himself, it would all be fine.

That thought fled the moment he knocked on the door. Oh God, what was he doing?


	27. Chapter 27

The lights were low in the captain's cabin when he pushed open the door. A couple of candles flickered from where they sat in stands on the desk, but they did little to cut through the dark. Sinbad was leaning over a map that he had pinned in place with a couple of very sharp-looking daggers. The minimal light made him look sinister as he scribbled notes on the paper and used a compass to plot their course. He didn't look up or say anything when Dmitri walked in, and gave no outward sign that he'd even heard the knock.

Dimitri cleared his throat. "Are you done with dinner?" he asked.

"Yes." If the reply was any sharper it might have actually cut him.

He walked towards the empty plate on the table, but stopped just short of picking it up and leaned forward, trying to catch Sinbad's eye.

"Look, I know I've been distant, but we need to talk." Even if Sinbad was probably going to give him an extremely hard time of it.

Sinbad didn't look up as he drew a wide, sweeping line across the map and then labeled it in a corner. "Captain's don't need to associate with their cabin boys. If you've been distant, I haven't had the time or the inclination to notice."

Well if that didn't just stab right at his nerve. "Excuse me?" Dimitri slammed his hands on the map. "You call throwing me down and giving me a hand job not associating in any way? Because I'd like to disagree on that!"

Sinbad put his chin on his fist and looked up at him with a flat expression. "Fine, disagree. Clearly you didn't enjoy it so it won't happen again." He waved at him with his other hand as one might shoo away a yapping puppy. "Off with you."

"No. No, I'm not going," Dimitri hissed, "Because I want to know why you did it in the first place."

"Why? Because I felt like it. I do whatever I want because I'm the captain. Now get the hell out of my damn cabin before I have you thrown overboard!" Sinbad stood up and glared across the desk at him, dropping his quill.

"Fine! Throw me overboard!" Dimitri snapped as he moved forward, almost nose-to-nose with Sinbad. In retrospect, that may not have been the best idea. He was staring straight into Sinbad's eyes, and seeing such intensity focused directly on him had the unexpected effect of shooting a bolt of desire straight through him.

Sinbad gritted his teeth. "I should have left you in Constantinople."

"Yeah? And why didn't you then?" Dimitri sneered. He glared back for what seemed like forever, while he decided whether to punch Sinbad or kiss in.

Screw it, he couldn't avoid it anymore. He grabbed Sinbad by the front of his shirt and pulled him forward to crash their lips together.

To say that he was surprised would have been an understatement. Sinbad had been half way to pulling a knife on his own cabin boy just to get him out, but this was something else completely. He froze for a minute, his eyes wide as the rage quickly drained out of them. Dimitri's lips were soft and he wanted to…but no. He curled his fingers into the front of Dimitri's outlandish vest that he insisted on wearing and pushed him away hard.

"No you don't," he growled, wiping off his mouth on his sleeve. "You don't have the right to do that. I refuse to put up with any more complaining and sullen looks because you feel like you've been forced into something."

"I'm pretty sure I just did that by myself," Dimitri said, slightly breathless. Had he really just done that? Yes, yes he had. And it had felt damn good.

"And I'm not going to help you do it again. Go find somebody else to play with." He sat back down heavily, trying to ignore how aroused he'd been by that kiss.

Trust their stubborn natures to clash. If Sinbad wanted to push away, then Dimitri could push back just as hard. Ignoring that last comment, Dimitri grabbed his face with both hands and lifted it up so he could kiss him again. He pressed closer as he did so, balancing one knee on the chair space between Sinbad's legs.

This was the point of no return, he realized. And judging by how good it felt, he didn't think he wanted to go back.

"Do you just want me to touch you again? Is that was this is about?" Sinbad broke the kiss for a second time, leaning back in his chair. His heart was racing with a combination of lust and anticipation. He tried to settle himself down internally but clearly his body didn't have the same reservations that his mind did.

Dimitri could clearly see the effect he was having on him too. His old smirk returned, and oh, did it feel good. He let his fingers glide along Sinbad's chin, feeling the hairs of his beard.

"Well, I was hoping I could touch you too," he said, easily keeping his voice even. "But if you don't want me to…" He shrugged, adding just enough nonchalance to really rile Sinbad up.

"And here I was thinking that you didn't want me anywhere near you." Dimitri wasn't the only player in the room. Sinbad laid his arms casually along the arms of the chair and raised an eyebrow. He was still being cautious, since rushing something like this could land him in very hot water.

Dimitri sighed. "You have to understand," he said, "Where I'm from, there's no such thing as… as men and men together." It was still a bit difficult for him to describe aloud. "I've never been attracted to a man before, this kind of came out of nowhere for me."

He pulled away slightly, his arms falling to his sides. Now was the time to tell Sinbad everything, he supposed. "In my time, no one really talks about these things. If you're found out, it's… It's just not pretty, alright? Look, why am I going into detail about this?" He rubbed at his eyes.

"I have no idea, please stop talking." Sinbad reached forward and untucked Dimitri's shirt so that he could press his hands against the other man's stomach. He had only been half-listening anyway, since the argument about 'do it' versus 'don't do it' was taking up most of his attention. Clearly 'do it' had won.

"This is import—" Dimitri's sentence ended in a moan the moment Sinbad placed his hands on him. It was mostly due to the fact that he had half-expected to be kicked right out of the cabin and was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case.

"Fuck important," muttered Sinbad as he took Dimitri's shirt and ripped it right up the middle. Buttons flew all over and rolled across the floor.

In other circumstances, he would have been royally pissed about that, but he'd let it slide just this once. He hurriedly slipped off his shirt and vest before straddling Sinbad so he could be at closer to him.

Sinbad's hands ran over the lean muscles of his stomach, stroking with obvious enjoyment. Then he slid his hands around to his back so that he could Dimitri closer to him, his hot breath caressing his skin. His tongue snaked out and flicked over one of his nipples. He didn't have any issues with accepting pleasure when it was practically offered up on a silver platter, so he was clearly going to enjoy himself while the offer stood.

Dimitri arched back with a sharp intake. Damn Sinbad and his wicked tongue. He pressed even closer to him and instinctually rolled his hips, needing to rut like mad.

A shuddering laugh broke free of Sinbad's mouth when Dimitri started to move. "Stop it; this is going to last more than five damn minutes." He pushed and shoved until the taller man all but slid off of his lap. Then he grabbed him by the wrist and all but dragged him across the room towards the cushion-covered bed in the back corner of the cabin.

Dimitri followed with no resistance this time. He fell back onto the soft cushions and had to take a moment to marvel at the luxury Sinbad got to sleep on every night while the rest of them swayed on old hammocks. The thought quickly passed though, and he refocused on the here and now. He pulled at Sinbad's wrists until the man was on top of them, and sought out his lips again, tongue immediately seeking entrance.

His entire body was tingling with anticipation and he bucked again, harder than he had ever been in his life. The raw manliness and musk rolling off of Sinbad was a bigger aphrodisiac than he had anticipated.

"Stop that or you'll never last," grunted Sinbad as he took a more comfortable position, bracing himself on his elbows so that he could kiss Dimitri back, startled when he was met with such enthusiasm. He smiled into the kiss and slid his tongue against Dimitri's.

He couldn't even come up with a snappy comeback at that; he was much too engrossed keeping his and Sinbad's lips pressed together. His hands roamed over the other's still clothed chest and he tugged insistently at the hem.

Reluctantly breaking the kiss, he asked haggardly, "How do you get this off?"

At least he was a keen bed partner; for all that he didn't know what he was doing, thought Sinbad as he sat up. He straddled Dimitri's hips as he pulled his loose shirt over his head and tossed it away without bothering to see where it landed.

"Like that."

Dimitri took the opportunity to run his fingers over Sinbad's chest now that he could explore them to his heart's content rather than admire from afar. He was indeed more muscular than Dimitri and shiver after shiver of anticipation crept down his spine as he could feel the heat from his skin pulsing under his palms. The fingers slowly traced up to reach Sinbad's broad shoulders. He had seen them countless times, what with Sinbad wearing a sleeveless shirt, but never up close.

Dimitri brought his face closer to press kisses along his collarbone, unable to take his eyes off the suntanned skin so different from his pale complexion.

Meanwhile, Sinbad had been trying to get his boots off, goose bumps being raised all over his arms by Dimitri's tentative caresses.

"You're distracting." He finally got one of his boots off and turned to work on the other, wincing and catching his breath when he felt the edge of Dimitri's teeth against his collarbone. He was vain enough that he loved to be admired, and he seemed to have found a more than willing person to do so.

"I'll take it as a good thing." Dimitri quickly fumbled with the strap of his wristwatch, unwilling to have it catch on anything.

He dropped it on the floor and went back to touching Sinbad wherever he could. Now that he had let himself cross the line, he couldn't get enough. It was all so new and forbidden for him, and only added to the thrill.

Sinbad's eyes went molten as he finished with his other boots and then turned his attention back to the man sprawled in his bed. "It's a very good thing." He slid his hand slowly down Dimitri's chest, following its path with his eyes until he reached his pants. He glanced back up quickly and then reached down to cup him through the fabric without waiting to seek encouragement.

Dimitri bit his lip to keep from moaning too loud. He bucked against Sinbad's hand, suddenly feeling the frustrating restriction of his pants.

"Take them off," he said through gritted teeth.

"Say please."


	28. Chapter 28

Dimitri gaped at him. "Are you really going to do this now?"

Sinbad was already working on the fastenings of his pants. "It would be nice, but not necessary at the moment. We'll move on to begging later." It was difficult to see what he was doing in the low candlelight. His knuckles rubbed against Dimitri's erection and the touches, unintentional as they were, were making his hands clumsy. "You want to give me a hand?"

Dimitri sighed impatiently and swatted his hands away. He worked at unbuckling his belt and slid it off before quickly unbuttoning his pants and prying them open.

"Finally!" Sinbad shoved his hand down the front of Dimitri's open pants and grasped his erection. It was hot and already completely hard, which made him grin as he squeezed it. "For me? You shouldn't have."

"Shut up and unwrap your present," Dimitri couldn't help but groan out.

His right hand slid up Sinbad's arm to paw at his shoulder again. Something about their sheer size really fascinated him. The moment he felt a hand on his cock, his fingers dug into said shoulder, leaving marks despite his short nails.

At any other time, Sinbad might have stopped to enjoy the tiny pain, but right now he was on the edge. He bit down on his bottom lip as he tore at Dimitri's pants, trying to get them down. He really was right on the – what. He stopped and starred.

"Dimitri . . . what are you wearing?"

Dimitri looked down at his white buttoned shorts, cut just above the knee.

"Uh… underwear?" he said, raising a brow.

"They look ridiculous." His shoulders started to shake as he struggled to hold in his mirth, the moment completely ruined.

He sputtered. "They do not!"

"They're the stupidest things I've ever seen! It's like wearing another pair of pants under your pants! What's the point?" He snorted and then roared with laughter. When he seemed like he was calming down he glanced at Dimitri's underwear and started right back up again.

Dimitri rose up and kicked at Sinbad's crotch.

He blocked the kick with his leg, wiping a tear out of his eye as he chuckled.

"Thanks for that," Dimitri grumbled and lay back down. "If you can't focus while looking at them maybe you should help me take them off." He wasn't about to let his bloomers ruin the evening. He had gone through too much internal turmoil for that to stop him of all things.

"Fine, but you have to promise to never wear them again. In fact, as your captain I command you to burn them. Not right now," he held up a hand in a benevolent manner. "But eventually." He reached down and pulled on the material. He had to lift up the waistband so it didn't get caught on Dimitri's impressive hard on, which seemed to have survived the momentary lapse in attention.

"I'm not burning them! Those are brand name undergarments! Do you know how much money I swindled to pay for those?" He lay there, naked as a firstborn but momentarily distracted by Sinbad's obvious lack of fashion taste.

He reached down and ran a fingertip across the head of Dimitri's penis, wetting it with precum. "I thought I told you to stop talking."

That effectively shut Dimitri up. His thighs twitched and he shuddered at the contact. Sinbad was driving him to the brink with only the tips of his fingers. He sat back up and started to fumble with the sash around Sinbad's waist, using his mouth to kiss him again rather than speak.

"Stop that." He smacked Dimitri's hands away and then got off the bed, walking back towards his desk. His own erection tented his loose pants, but he seemed surprisingly comfortable walking with it, which was a feat on its own.

Sinbad was digging through one of his desk drawers and made a noise of pleasure when he pulled out a glass jar. He carried it back over and dropped it into Dimitri's hands. "There."

Dimitri blinked and looked down at it. "Uh…"

He turned the jar over in his hands. Whatever liquid sloshed in there looked to be oily. Sinbad looked up from where he was unwrapping his sash. "What?"

"What's this for?" Dimitri asked cautiously. It wasn't like he had any experience in what men did with each other.

"That's for me, cabin boy. Unless you'd prefer to go without?" He dropped his sash to the floor and started to undo the laces at the front of his pants. Unlike Dimitri, it was immediately apparent that he wasn't wearing an extra layer of clothing under them.

Dimitri forgot all about the jar as he watched Sinbad slowly become naked. His eyes were completely transfixed on the sight being revealed to him.

Sinbad reached forward and pulled the lid off of the jar that Dimitri held in his lax hands. His pants fell open, revealing the length of his own erection, which was thick and heavy with desire. "Put it on me, he whispered huskily in his ear.

Dimitri gaped openly, having never really seen another man's penis this close before. Yes, he'd seen men change and had gone to one or two communal baths, but never had he seen another so erect and waiting just for him.

He dipped his trembling fingers into the oil, which smelled strongly of orange and spices. His mouth had gone completely dry and he tentatively brushed from the head of Sinbad's cock down to the root. It was a familiar and completely new sensation at the time. Slowly, his fingers wrapped around it, giving it a few timid strokes.

His own cock throbbed as he touched Sinbad. He never thought he would find such pleasure in doing this. He looked up at Sinbad through hooded lids to gauge his reaction.

Sinbad's eyes had fallen almost completely closed and his lips hand parted just enough to start panting. He reached up and curled his fingers into Dimitri's hair, holding him in place. "More."

How much more could he do? Dimitri slowed his stroking as he pondered. His heart began to pound harder even as he arched a cool eyebrow in response. He leaned his head forward and gave Sinbad's cock a tentative lick. He could taste the salty precum that had leaked out, and ever so gently, he pressed his lips over the head. This wasn't as revolting as he thought it would be. In fact, judging by the continual throbbing in his own cock, Dimitri was inclined to believe he liked this.

Sinbad's grip on his hair was almost painful as Dimitri explored him. He had clenched his teeth together so hard that he thought his jaw might break. His eyes slid shut as he enjoyed the exquisite torture of the innocent touches, but he desperately wanted more. Harder, faster, more. He kept a strangle hold on himself though. It wouldn't do to scare him off now.

The hand that painfully pulled at his hair had the unexpected effect of sending tingles of arousal shooting down Dimitri's spine. The tightness of that grip signaled him to just how affected Sinbad was at his ministrations. He couldn't help the smugness that came to him at that thought; it was nice to have Sinbad lose his cockiness for a change and be completely lost to feeling… by Dimitri's own doing, too.

He continued with his experimental licks, even as his hand continued to spread the oil around the length of Sinbad's cock.

Sinbad took a deep, bracing breath. He was cool. He was in control. If it took a minute to compose himself, he didn't notice. Much. "Ready?" And his voice wasn't strained at all.

"Huh?" Dimitri pulled away and looked up at him, his mind currently hazy.

He held in his laugh. "That's what I though. Get on your hands and knees." He gave him a push for emphasis.

Dimitri complied, too addled with lust to think things over. When he got himself on all fours, a shiver of anticipation laced with nervousness racked through his body. He hadn't realized until now that he was panting in time with the pounding of blood in his ears.

He came up behind him and his hands clamped down on his lean hips. Sinbad pushed his lower body against Dimitri so that his cock was cradled against the cheeks of his ass. He couldn't help but do a long, slow grind against him, giving himself the stimulation that he was dying for. Dimitri's tentative touches had only made his desire burn all the hotter. He didn't even care that he still had his pants practically on at this point, only that he was about to get exactly what he wanted.

Dimitri tensed as he felt something hard slide against him, in a place no one had ever touched on him before. But he soon began to enjoy the sensation and dropped his head onto the bed with a low moan.

This night was filled with first experiences and so far he had very much liked all of them. He attempted to push back against Sinbad, trying to increase the friction, still a bit surprised by how good it felt.

"Relax," growled Sinbad, who didn't sound at all relaxed himself. He ran his hands slowly down the length of Dimitri's back and then reached under to his chest and rolled his nipples between his rough fingertips. The effect was instantaneous. Dimitri melted at the contact, feeling as if his bones were turning into jelly. He could feel his nipples harden as Sinbad played with them, lost to the sharp spikes of pleasure they shot to his groin. His knees slid further apart, slick with sweat that also broke out on his forehead. His entire body was heating up like a flare and it was all due to Sinbad's sinful hands.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that you liked that," panted Sinbad, continuing his erotic touches. His hips had started to move, rubbing his engorged cock against Dimitri in increasingly desperate strokes.

He didn't even bother to formulate a reply. He was in complete surrender to Sinbad's touches. His fists were bunched around the sheets, trembling and slick. He was leaking precum on the bed, desperate to be touched.

"If you stop, I'll kill you," he managed to say, his voice rough and laced with aggression.

Sinbad had no intention of stopping. He let go of Dimitri's nipples and straightened behind him, taking himself in hand and guiding his hot, throbbing cock to Dimitri's entrance. The oil made him slick, but even just getting the tip of himself in was tough because Dimitri was so tight. As soon as it was in, his hands clamped back down on Dimitri's hips.

The pain was not something he had expected. It pierced through him sharply and made him cry out loud.

"Son of a BITCH!" Dimitri cried, flinging his head down and tightening his fists so hard he was leaving marks on his palms with his fingernails. It hurt, by God, it hurt so much. He bit his lip to keep from crying out again, but all he could focus on was the excruciating intrusion.

"I thought," groaned Sinbad from behind him, "That I told you to relax."

"Could've warned me, you ASS!" Dimitri spat. He took in deep breaths, trying to loosen himself around Sinbad's cock. It was no easy feat, especially with the foreign intrusion. He bit down on the sheets, trying to relax one exhale at a time.

"Don't throw such a fit; it's just the tip of me." Sinbad started to stroke shallowly, his hips moving in slow rolls that brought him slightly deeper each time. "Come on, you can take it." Or at least he hoped he could.

"Of course I can!" Dimitri hissed, flaring with renewed temper. The anger actually willed him to relax more, trying to take in Sinbad's small thrusts. He steadied himself more solidly so he could better receive each small push.

One of Sinbad's hands reached down and circled the base of his erection, stroking it in time with his thrusts. His calloused fingers stroked up his underside to his tip and then back down again while his thrusts began to pick up speed, lust and desperation riding him hard.

"Just breathe." He winced as Dimitri tightened around him again, forcing him to slow back down. "Holy hell, why are you so damn tight?" He leaned forward to press his sweaty forehead against Dimitri's back; his eyes squeezed shut in agonizing pleasure.

The pain started to ebb as Dimitri felt Sinbad's hand around his cock. He focused on the pleasant sensations and was soon moaning again. The feeling of Sinbad inside of him was exhilarating and possibly the most intimate he had ever allowed himself to be with anyone. He wondered briefly whether anyone else would be able to do this to him. Right now, all he could feel was Sinbad over him, underneath him stroking at his cock, assaulting his senses.

Suddenly, he felt Sinbad brush against something inside of him that made his knees buckle and a high gasp fly out of him. His head was spinning and his cock throbbed heavily, his entire being begging for more.

"Do that again," he whispered, not caring how desperate he sounded, "Do that again."

Sinbad seemed to take him at his word because he repeated the stroke, but faster this time. "That's it," he encouraged, his hot breath washing over Dimitri's back. He was thrusting harder now, clearly spurred on by Dimitri's moans. "Almost all the way . . ."

Dimitri felt it again, and his lips curled up in a grin even as he continued to pant. Spike after spike of pleasure seared through him, and he slowly began to push back against Sinbad's cock.

If he could see how wanton he was right now, he would probably look away in embarrassment. But at this moment, there was none. All he knew was that he wanted more of Sinbad. Dimitri's rolled his hips in time with his thrusts, groaning out a hoarse "Harder!"

"Harder? Oh gods thank you." Sinbad seemed to go from slow motion to a break neck speed in less time than it took to blink, slamming into Dimitri like a mad man, his cock hitting all of those secret places inside of him that set off fireworks. It was almost as if he knew exactly how fast to go to give the most pleasure.

A memory surfaced in his mind of Dimitri writhing under him while he ran his thumb over his tip and he dragged his hand up Dimitri's cock to repeat the caress, dying to see if it would make him even wilder.

He was rewarded with a particularly loud cry from Dimitri. His already sensitive erection now drove him wild as Sinbad stroked over the tip. Combined with the sudden but not unwelcome speed and intensity of his thrusts, he completely let go. He thrashed his head about, pushing back just as roughly as Sinbad was pushing into him.

All of his restraint, all of his control were lost in this moment as Dimitri let himself go wild with an abandon he never would have been allowed to do back in his own time. He bit and bucked and tensed, covered in both his sweat and Sinbad's. His legs were shaking with the effort it took to keep him up under his erotic onslaught. His stomach coiled as he felt himself almost at the brink.

"Just come already," groaned Sinbad into his back. He hadn't had such a naturally responsive partner in forever, but he just couldn't take the time right now to properly enjoy it. Right now he just needed to have this. He could feel Dimitri shuddering under him. He would have put gold on him having come by now, but no. The hand that wasn't caressing his cock reached up and gave one of Dimitri's nipples a particularly hard pinch.

That was finally what pushed Dimitri over the edge. He threw his head back as he came all over Sinbad's hand and bed. His upper body collapsed, unable to keep him up any longer as he rode the waves of his orgasm with shudder after shudder.

"Yes!" Sinbad's voice was husky and sounded victorious. He continued to thrust, but now he seemed focused solely on reaching his own pleasure, plunging into him with a fervor that was almost manic. His hands were like clamps on Dimitri's body, wringing every last ounce of pleasure from his oversensitive prick. Finally he stiffened with a hoarse shout, his spine bending as his own orgasm exploded out of him. He bit down on Dimitri's shoulder to stifle his cries.

Dimitri writhed against the new sensation of cum filling him and couldn't help but respond to Sinbad's bite with an arch of his back. He fell back on the mattress, completely spent and unable to move. His mind was blank and hazy with bliss, and he was perfectly fine to stay like that.

Sinbad's arms were shaking as he finally pulled free of Dimitri's body, completely spent. They were both sweaty and sticky, but he didn't care. He rolled over just enough that he wasn't lying directly on top of Dimitri and dragged him closer so that he could curl against his back, his arm trapped solidly around his waist. He gently pressed his lips against the teeth marks on his shoulder and then licked them, tasting the salty tang of sweat. Neither of them said anything.

But then again, there really didn't seem to be much to say.


	29. Chapter 29

The sun hadn't even risen yet, so when Dimitri woke up from an odd dream involving that yappy mutt of Anya's ordering a sandwich, no light from the open window greeted him.

He took that as a sign to turn his head and go back to sleep. There was something warm and heavy half on top of him and it really was much too comfortable to throw off right away. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept on an actual mattress.

Sinbad was sleeping the sleep of the dead, his face buried in Dimitri's neck, a heavy arm slung across his chest. His breathing was deep and even and he didn't show any sign of waking up or of realizing that his bed partner had awakened.

It took a while for Dimitri to realize that an actual person was clinging to him. He recognized Sinbad's face half shrouded in shadow, and of course that led to him remembering about what they had done. Thankfully, the haze of sleep still clouded his senses and he was not awake enough to process it just yet.

He shifted a bit, wincing as felt the pain. Oh, this was going to be a pleasant day. In light of Sinbad being dead to the world, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

The next time he woke up, it was to Sinbad's boot bouncing off of his head. It was still dark in the room, but a couple of candles had been lit and Sinbad was busy pulling on his clothes.

"Up and about, cabin boy. This isn't a pleasure cruise I'm running."

"Ow! WHAT?" Dimitri sat up and rubbed his head. The bed might have been more comfortable but the wake-up call was a step down.

"Give me back my boot."

"I'm not—" he grunted as he bent down to pick up his clothes, causing him discomfort. "Giving you anything."

Sinbad walked over to a wardrobe and pulled out a peacock blue sash and started tying it on. "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Dimitri ignored him and pulled his pants on as slowly as he could. He was too cranky to even start panicking over last night but that would probably change the moment he stepped out to get some air. He glanced at his shirt with its buttons ripped off and sighed. There was no way he was wearing one of the crewmembers' rags for clothes. He opted with wearing his green vest and buttoning it up. Now he looked a bit more like the other sleeveless men on the ship. He wondered wryly whether this was a sign of his future.

Sinbad yanked back one of the curtains covering the window and the sunlight spilled into the room, temporarily blinding the occupants.

"Get going, I know I gave you work to do. Not as much as I have because I'm much more important, but you get my drift." He pushed open the door and walked out onto the deck as if he didn't have a care in the world. The crew didn't even look up from what they were working on as he jogged up to the quarter deck.

Easy for him to say, he didn't have to walk with a… particular soreness. It took a bit of effort for Dimitri to get out of bed, and he climbed up the steps very slowly. He tried to keep his face neutral even as he walked out with a bit of a limp into the fresh morning air.

The twins stopped whatever they were doing as the spotted Dimitri coming out of the captain's cabin. He blinked at them and tried to shuffle away, but he really couldn't move very fast.

"Whooaaaah…" Li said, staring at Dimitri.

"Aw man!" Jin threw his hands into the air. "I've just lost half of my money to Kale!"

Dimitri's eyes bulged and he turned around. "What were you betting on?" he asked sharply.

The twins eyed each other. "Um… Nothing!" Jin said.

"Nothing to do with you!" Li added.

"Definitely nothing to do with whenever you and Sinbad would—"

"Shut up!" Li clapped a hand to his brother's mouth.

Dimitri gaped.

"Just ignore them, they had a bit too much to drink last night." A giant hand came down on his shoulder and almost staggered him. "I think the Cook wanted you to give him a hand downstairs when you were up." Kale's voice was diplomatically neutral.

Dimitri opened his mouth to say something, but realized that he didn't have a proper response. This whole thing was embarrassing enough already.

He let out a gruff "Right" before limping far away from the twins.

Kale looked down at the twins and then smirked as soon as Dimitri was out of sight. "Pay up."

They grumbled and emptied their pockets just as Rat dangled upside down to throw his coins at Kale's feet and mutter.

"How did you know? I was sure not for three days, and now this!" Rat gestured to the hatch that Dimitri had disappeared down.

Kale shrugged his massive shoulders and flipped one of the twin's coins into the air. "I have my ways."

"Well you ways are cheating. I'm not wagering with you anymore." Jin crossed his arms, still sore about losing so much of his pocket cash. Li mimicked him and they both looked at Kale accusingly.

"I didn't cheat," Kale dropped the coins into his pocket, feeling cheerful. "I just know how to read the mood."

"Ah, l'amour," sighed Rat as he climbed back up to tend to the sails.

Kale looked up at Sinbad, who was leaning on the wheel and looking over a piece of tattered paper. "Maybe not quite yet, but we'll just see..."

Down in the kitchens, Dimitri had been assigned to carrot-peeling duty. Why they couldn't have other foods that were not pickles and eggs before dinner was beyond him. He supposed it was a sort of reward for doing a hard day's work of sailing, but he was still getting tired of the same bitter diet for breakfast.

The cook was a beefy man from Rhodes named Eusebios. He was pretty good-natured if a little crude, though Dimitri figured that to be a natural trait around pirates.

He kept shifting in his seat, trying to ease his discomfort as he worked. Thinking about the pain meant thinking about last night, and if he thought of last night, he would start wondering what to do from there.

Of course, given just the mindless task of carrot skinning, this gave his mind the opportunity to wander. Dimitri felt, among other things, an immense sense of guilt he had been pushing away since he woke up. He thought of Anya and how he had betrayed her.

Can it really be betrayal if you weren't ever together though? He wondered.

Yes it could, judging by the dead weight sinking in the pit of his stomach. How could he claim to love her after he had so easily given in to someone else, and a man at that? But he didn't love Sinbad, so did that still count?

"Ow!" Dimitri dropped the knife he had cut himself with in his absentmindedness and quickly pressed his thumb to his lips.

The minute pain only served to darken his thoughts. He was a terrible person; he didn't deserve her. If he ever got home, he would stick to his initial plan of returning to Russia and leaving her happy with her grandmother. That was of course, if he ever got home.

And if he were to be stuck here, what would he do, spend the rest of his life on this pirate ship and become an even bigger criminal than he used to be?

Dimitri sighed and dropped the half-peeled carrot into the slowly filling bucket. Perhaps he shouldn't have approached Sinbad; it seemed to have made everything worse in his head. And yet, he couldn't deny (despite the soreness) that he had enjoyed it immensely. And that yes, he was clearly attracted to the man. Every aspect of Dimitri's life just seemed to get more and more tangled until he could see no way to untie them.

"No day dreaming, only peeling." Eusebios gave him a quick smack to the back of his head as he walked by with a giant black pot and set it on top of the stove. His forearms would have given Kale a run for his money – long days of lifting and carrying pots and crates of supplies had clearly done some good for him.

"Geez, haven't you people ever heard of abuse of authority?" Dimitri rubbed the back of his head in indignation and winced at another sharp pain coming from his behind.

"The only authority around her is that of the captain and whatever god you make your peace with." He dumped a bag of salt into the pot and then started to chop up the carrots that Dimitri had already peeled with alarming efficiency. "And the authority of the cook and what he puts in your dinner."

"You're not putting any pickles or eggs in there, are you?" Dimitri eyed the pot warily.

Eusebios looked at him curiously. "Now why would I be doing that? Those are just simple ingredients, not for good meals. Though somebody seems to be eating them out of the barrels, don't ask me why." He noticed that Dimitri had paused again. "Keep peeling."

Dimitri let out a huff and reached down to pick up another carrot. The rather brusque movement sent another flare of pain through him and he grunted in his discomfort.

"What, cut yourself?"

"No," he replied curtly.

"Oh ho, I see." Eusebios lifted a giant piece of salted pork out of a barrel and started to hack into it with a cleaver the size of Dimitri's head. "You'd better take seconds tonight to keep your strength up."

"Seconds of what?" Dimitri looked up, puzzled. "And what for, exactly?"

The cook snorted and started to chop the meat chunks into the stew base. "Seconds of dinner, lad. Otherwise Sinbad will wear you right out and you won't be of any use to anybody."

"What are you—" he stopped short and rested his face into his palm. "There's no privacy on this ship at all, is there?" he mumbled.

"Not a bit. Keep peeling."

And that is just what Dimitri did as he pretended that they had never had this talk.


	30. Chapter 30

The moon shone brightly down on the deserted deck that night. The waves were quiet and soothing against the hull and the cool sea breeze was light and fresh. It seemed like it would be a raid-free night since there were no other ships in sight. The lanterns glowed on deck, but they were hardly necessary because of the bright full moon.

The crew all slept in their hammocks. Every once in a while the twins would starts talking at the same time and break into an argument, all without waking up. Kale slept with his arms crossed and never moved a muscle. Jed snored fit to wake the dead. Rat always slept in the crow's nest. The man had an obsession with high places.

Dimitri was the only one still wide awake. The familiar swaying of the hammock was still a step down from the comfortable bed he had slept in the previous night. He wondered vaguely if he could sneak into the captain's cabin to sleep in there again.

…

Fine, so he also had the urge to go looking for Sinbad. He wasn't sure why he wanted to, after the warm morning-after greeting he'd gotten. Not that he'd expected anything else from the heartless pirate, but the least he could've done was not force Dimitri to move so fast, what with his lower pain and all.

He quietly slid off his hammock and left the crew's sleeping quarters. He wouldn't get any shut-eye in there tonight. What was he even hoping for with Sinbad, a talk? That seemed like a bad idea, and yet Dimitri felt that if he could just set things straight (what those things were, he wasn't too sure himself) it would make him feel immensely better. Maybe talking with Sinbad would help assuage his guilt somewhat. If he was to be stuck in this time forever (God forbid), he may as well start forming some kind of… bond with him. This was a very strange predicament indeed.

He padded silently to the captain's cabin, and decided not to knock this time, instead pushing the door open as quietly as he could.

The inside of Sinbad's cabin was pitch black. No candles cut through the dark, so the only illumination came from through the doorway. There was only the sound of very light snoring to show that the room was actually occupied.

Of course he was asleep, Dimitri thought. Everyone else was asleep at this time of night except for him.

He tiptoed to the side of Sinbad's bed and leaned down. He couldn't make him out very well in the dark, but he could vaguely make out the rise and fall of the captain's form with every breath he took.

It really had been a stupid idea to come in here; he hadn't even figured out how he would have started a conversation anyway. He turned around, intent on going back to his hammock to attempt to close his eyes for more than five minutes.

A hand lashed out in the dark and clamped around his neck, dragging him backwards with unexpected ferocity. He staggered against the edge of the bed and went tumbling backwards. There was a glint of something and he realized that the point of a blade was inches away from his eye. The arm around his neck didn't loosen in the slightest and everything seemed to freeze for a long moment.

"Hey! What are you doing?" his voice became strained as he grabbed at the strong arm choking him.

For a second there wasn't an answer. Then Sinbad groaned and the knife lifted away from its precarious position and the arm released him.

"Cabin boy, why are you sneaking into my room in the middle of the damn night?" His voice was rough with sleep.

Dimitri rubbed at his neck, finally able to breathe normally. "I couldn't sleep, so I figured I'd come and… talk." He slowly got off the bed. "I know, I know. Not the best idea in the middle of the night. I'll just leave now."

"All you do is talk." Sinbad caught the back of Dimitri's pants as he started to leave and dragged him back onto the bed.

"Yes, talking is good. Talking is what's helping me keep my sanity through this… adventure or whatever the hell you want to call what I'm going through." Dimitri huffed as he fell back onto the bed. "What are you doing? I'm trying to go back to my hammock."

"No, you woke me up and now you have to pay the price. Now let me sleep." Sinbad rolled over onto his stomach and dragged Dimitri over so that they were pressed together, showing every sign of being content to drop right off again.

"Oh come on…" Dimitri tried to pry Sinbad's arm off, but the damn pirate had a grip like a vice. And if he were honest with himself, he didn't really want to go back to his hammock; this bed was much more comfortable. He stopped struggling and let out a long-suffering sigh despite being oddly content. It was much easier to fall asleep when he was on a proper mattress and he found himself doing just that.


	31. Chapter 31

When Sinbad woke up the next morning, the sun hadn't risen yet. He had made a habit out of waking up before his crew so that he could go over his plans for the day, but the presence of a warm body next to him quickly claimed his attention. Dimitri's hair was sticking out wildly, and his face was pressed into the pillow. He was completely out cold.

Sinbad pushed himself up onto and elbow and looked over his bed mate. Had he really snuck in last night wanting to talk? The idea was almost funny. He grinned and gently pushed on one of Dimitri's shoulders to roll him onto his back. It didn't look like he'd be getting any work done this morning. The other man just grumbled at being moved about but otherwise didn't stir.

That worked in his favor. The longer he stayed asleep, the more fun he could have without having to listen to him talk. He leaned down and licked a hot line across his collarbone, one of his hands settling on his stomach.

Dimitri's brows knitted together as the sensation of something or someone pawing at him slowly pulled him out of deep sleep. His hands blindly reached out to push away whatever it was trying to rouse him awake. The hands remained though, moving over his ribs and down to his hipbone. The hot heat on his neck was replaced by the feel of teeth.

That was what finally made his eyes snap open. He glanced wildly about; trying to adjust to consciousness again and his mouth set itself into a grim line as he finally recognized Sinbad practically on top of him.

"Can't you let me sleep?" he grumbled, his voice still hoarse.

"Why sleep? There are better things to be done right now." Sinbad grinned down at him and then pressed their lips together in a long, lazy morning kiss.

This was unfair, Dimitri thought. He was supposed to be justifiably annoyed, not getting aroused first thing in the morning…Screw it, this felt good. And he didn't have to think while he felt. His hands came to rest on Sinbad's shoulders as he slowly kissed back.

Sinbad's roving hand moved from his hip to his penis and began to pet it in a leisurely manner, waking it up as surely as his mouth was. Dimitri's fingers twitched and he let out a quiet little moan. Well, he wasn't one to say no to a nice wake-up call despite his earlier complaints. It would put him in a better mood for the long day of work ahead.

"Nice," murmured Sinbad. "Do it again." His finger slid to wrap around him completely and began to stroke him in long, confident motions. He clearly had some experience with this, since he seemed to know exactly how much pressure would bring him the most pleasure. His thumb rubbed the vein that branched up his length.

"Do what again?" Dimitri asked before he bucked uncontrollably against Sinbad's hand. It was a slow and languorous pleasure, quite unlike the wild intensity two nights ago. A low "Oh!" of surprise left his lips and he slid a hand up to grip Sinbad's hair.

"That works too." He leaned down a bit to lessen the pressure of having his hair pulled. He was just vain enough that he didn't want it to be pulled out. His grip tightened and he swallowed Dimitri's gasp with his mouth.

Dimitri responded with more urgency now that he was fully awake. His hand moved from Sinbad's hair to roam down his back while he tried to press himself closer.

Sinbad laughed and then bit down on Dimitri's bottom lip. "Eager, aren't you?" Not that he would complain, an enthusiastic partner was always a good find.

"Well if I'm going to be woken up this way, it's only polite to respond properly," Dimitri replied. To hell with guilt for now, he'd brood again later. And to think he had almost considered himself a reformed man.

"You keep responding. I'm feeling generous this morning." He gave a particularly hard pull on Dimitri's erection, as if he was trying to melt his brain completely.

Dimitri threw his head back and groaned, his adam's apple bobbing with every sound. His fists clenched reflexively as he spread his legs a little wider to give Sinbad better access. "Generous? You?" he laughed breathlessly, "That's something I never thought I'd hear." He gulped audibly. "But don't stop."

Sinbad chuckled. "You're right. You can pay me back later. Settle some debts." His other hand slipped down and cupped his balls, rolling them in the palm up his hand.

"I'm already… working… twelve hours for you," Dimitri sucked in air through his teeth. He had surrendered his entire body to Sinbad's hands and he knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

"You consider this work?" His own erection was impressive, but he didn't pay it much mind. He was selfish in almost everything but this. He loved having control over the pleasures of others - it was intoxicating. He kept up his steady caresses, his eyes hooded.

"I don't think work hours have started yet," Dimitri replied. His fingernails dug harshly into Sinbad's back, feeling himself almost at his peak. It was a slow and gradual buildup, but he was still enjoying it fully.

"Come on already, I have work to do," he said, knowing it would piss off the cabin boy. Rage seemed to be his touch-off point.

Dimitri was about to retort when he did come. He shuddered and fell back against the mattress.

"Thanks for that," he said wryly as his breath slowed to a normal rhythm.

"I would say 'any time', but we might get some looks from the crew." He wiped his hand off on the sheets and rolled over onto his back with a sigh.

Now that that was over, Dimitri felt rather awkward. Where did he go from this point? Damn Sinbad and his nonchalance towards everything, even things like… like what just happened. It just twisted at Dimitri until he was nothing but a mess inside filled with guilt and self-directed anger and continued arousal. But Sinbad. He just did everything like there were no repercussions.

Dimitri tucked himself back into his pants, wondering whether there really weren't any and if he were simply over-thinking things.

He decided to change the subject to something he had been wondering for a while. "What's your main goal anyway, Sinbad?" he asked, turning his head to look at the other man. "What do you want to do with your life? You can't possibly be a pirate forever."

"Again with the talking!" Sinbad pushed himself out of the bed and walked over to the dresser. He didn't seem to care that he was naked with an erection bouncing between his legs. Modesty was completely lost on him.

Dimitri had a fleeting memory of once berating a certain orphan for talking too much. Now that he thought about it, they had nagged at each other pretty much during the whole train ride, up until that delightful little sabotage. He wondered how Sinbad would fare if Anya were here instead of him, with her motor mouth. The thought sent an unpleasant jolt through him and he quickly pushed it aside.

"Fine, don't tell me anything." He sat up to better glare holes into Sinbad's back. "Silly of me to want to make conversation."

"Conversation is for people who don't have work to do." He pulled on a pair of loose black pants and tied a sash around his waist to keep them up.

Dimitri combed his hair hastily with his fingers, trying to get the worst of the bed head tamed. "So you're too busy to answer a simple question?"'

Sinbad sighed and rolled his eyes. How had he managed to get tied up with the most prying, nosey person in all of Syracuse? He was worse than Proteus.

"I want to get rich and retire to Fiji. That answer enough for you?"

"That's it?" Dimitri linked his fingers together and placed them under his chin. Well, he hadn't really been expecting something deep and meaningful from the pirate. Yet he still felt disappointed somehow.

Sinbad has started to dig through his shirts, tossing the rejects on the floor where they joined a couple of boots, a bra that was covered with tiny jewels, and the skull of some sort of animal.

"Don't sound so upset about that, some of us just want the simple life. Oh that's where that went." He scooped up the bra and stuffed it into a chest. Outside of the portholes, the sky was just starting to lighten with the first sign of the sun.

Dimitri let out a derisive laugh. "You know, that was my dream too, once. Get rich, move to a nicer place than the one I came from…"

And all of that had changed because he had stumbled upon the genuine heir to the Russian throne. Never in his life had Dimitri thought of anything other than his personal gain; it was hard not to when you were trying to survive. Vlad had been the exception to that, and then Anya had turned his entire world upside down.

Now that he might never get back home, he didn't even know what his purpose was. To survive in a dangerous, ancient world? And if he did get home, what then? He didn't think he had the nerve to face Anya after all that had happened. He could stick to his original plan to return to St. Petersburg. From there, he would be right back where he had started, minus Vlad. But the more time he spent here, the less he believed he would ever find a way home.

Dimitri looked up at the infuriating man, the man who had touched him in a way no one else had before, the man whose shallow dreams he had once shared. It was at that moment, feeling the sinking disappointment at Sinbad's words, that Dimitri realized he really wasn't the same anymore.


	32. Chapter 32

"See? Not so different after all. Just two guys trying to make their way in the world and end up fabulously wealthy." Sinbad felt energized after the morning's entertainment; for all that he hadn't peaked himself. The edge of unfulfilled desire would give him the manic energy that he knew he would need today. Soon they would get to Cyprus, and from there to Cairo. It had been years since his last visit.

He grabbed a vest out from under a pile of daggers on his desk and pulled it on, sheathing his two long swords over his shoulders. It never hurt to be prepared, especially in his occupation.

"So what's the problem?"

Dimitri rubbed his tight-lipped mouth a few times, trying to think of what to say. But clearly, Sinbad would neither understand nor care about his little self-realization.

"Nothing at all," he said smoothly, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head. "Same routine today?"

"Unless you've suddenly developed some useful skills other than cleaning things and peeling vegetables, it looks like it's about the same for you." He thought about mentioning another recently discovered skill of Dimitri's, but decided to hold his tongue lest that skill be withheld.

"Right." Dimitri stood up and left the cabin without another word. He didn't think he would ever have a decent conversation with Sinbad, even if he spent the rest of his life on this boat… Well that wasn't a depressing thought at all.

Out on the deck, the crew members were already up and working. Dimitri deftly ducked under Kale who was carrying two large barrels, jumped over Jed's pile of mini-explosives, and slid his fingers into Li's back pocket, taking out one gold coin. If anything, at least he had gotten somewhat used to living on the Chimera.

Over the next three days, the crew of the Chimera fell into a comfortable routine that most of the sailors seemed to have memorized. They woke up with the sun, took their orders from Sinbad concerning the day's activities, worked until lunch, and then had some free time to play dice or cards or wager on when Dimitri would fall overboard again.

On the fifth day, Dimitri was actually in the middle of a game of dice with Jed and Luca, having "borrowed" enough money from the twins' pockets to make a reasonably small bet. He may as well have some currency on him for their next stop.

"LAND!" Rat's voice echoed from the top of the crow's nest. Everyone looked out to the horizon excitedly. A dark mass was making itself visible in the distance, and Dimitri couldn't help but mutter an, "Oh, thank God."

Sinbad and Kale had gone up to the front of the ship and were regarding the island in the distance it had to be Cyprus. They were speaking in hushed voices that Dimitri couldn't make out from where he sat with the rest of the gambling group.

"I hope we stay for more than two days!" Jin said next to him, "Even I need a break from this boat!"

"How do you guys stand being out at sea for such long periods of time?" Dimitri asked.

"Well, you gotta enjoy it!" Li piped up from behind him, "And we enjoy it a lot. Jin and I come from a fishing village. We used to help our father catch fish in the mornings."

"But even we need a break on land!" Jin added.

Dimitri leaned against the railing, looking back out at the island. "Can't say I blame you. I'm just lucky I don't get seasick."

"Aaaah, but the captain!" Rat had jumped down from his perch and was currently spinning slowly as he dangled upside down from his beloved ropes. "He is a man of the sea! You will never see him happier than when he is at the wheel, looking out over the ocean!"

"I think we can establish that Sinbad isn't like most people," Dimitri muttered.

"Si, this is true." Rat circled around Dimitri with a leer. "And somehow, this intrigues you, yes?"

"Get back up there!" Dimitri pushed Rat's face away while the others laughed.

Rat scrambled back up to the top of the sails as Sinbad came back down from the front of the ship and stopped in the middle of the deck. "Gentlemen, I give you Cyprus. Now you may remember that last time we were here, we asked very politely to . . . what was it Kale?"

"Never come back."

"Exactly. That being said, we'll be landing on the southern part of the island where we won't be bothering anybody who might be holding a grudge."

"I've heard things about the southern part of the island," Jed said darkly, "Terrible things."

Despite Dimitri's mutter of, "Of course you have," he continued with his tale. "Men have gone there, searching for legendary riches. None have ever returned."

Everyone was used to Jed's ramblings by now, although sometimes he did end up being right. Still, the twins rolled their eyes and Dimitri flicked some dust off his watch nonchalantly.

"Shut up Jed," said Sinbad as he crossed his arms and looked them all over. "This is strictly a stop for supplies, understand? I don't want to have to stay here more than a day or two, since Cairo has much better pickings. We'll be on the shore by this evening and set up camp. Make ready to land!" With that, he walked back up to the quarter deck and took his usual place behind the wheel.

Kale waited until he was gone and then looked at them. "Well? You all heard him."

Everyone disbanded to their tasks, leaving Dimitri with nothing else to do but to go to Eusebios and help him with dinner.

A day or two? That was so little time, he thought with sinking disappointment. If he ever ended up living on land again, he would never take it for granted.

They landed the ship off of the coast of Cyprus as the sun was going down that evening. Torches were lit and supplies were loaded into long boats. Luckily the sea was relatively calm and they made it to shore without flipping any of the boats or anybody falling out. The moment the boats grounds into the sand, the entire crew stumbled down to land, filling the air with whoops and cheers. Dimitri was more composed than the rest, but the moment his shoes sank into the wet sand, his entire body relaxed and it looked like he was going to melt into the ground.

"Come on!" Luca grabbed him round the neck and dragged him out of his reverie. "We've got tents to pitch!"

"Whoa, wait! What?" Dimitri tugged away and rubbed his neck. "We're making camp?"

"Of course boy! We need to get further into the island so we'll be up and att'em in the morning to get supplies!"

He threw what appeared to be a large blanket at him, along with rope and pegs. Dimitri tried to catch everything and almost stumbled face-first into the sand. Everywhere around him, the men were making quick work of pitching up tents for the night.

"Um…" he looked down at his materials, unsure of where to begin.

Sinbad studied Dimitri as he stomped off and heard Kale come up behind him. "I'm going to laugh when whatever he manages to make caves in on his head in the middle of the night."

"You could have offered to help, you know." Kale tied a rope between two palm trees and started to assemble his own shelter.

Sinbad snorted. "And miss out on the entertainment? I think not." He turned his back on his first mate and tromped further inland. He never made his crew build his shelter - that went beyond their job descriptions. Over the years he had gotten very good at coming up with places to sleep, whether that was in a tent, a hammock, or somewhere less desirable. It was always on his terms though, and that was good enough for him.

He heard cursing from down the beach and smiled to himself.

The ropes around Dimitri's arms were getting more tangled the more he tried to undo them. He threw everything down and glared at the tree he had been trying to build his tent with, as if it were its entire fault.

Everywhere else, tents had been pitched up, and the crew had settled down for the night. If only one person would show him how to set it up, he would get it immediately. He had always been a quick learner. And why would he have ever learned to pitch one up himself, anyway? Dimitri was from the city, and a cold one at that where sensible people lived in proper houses.

Sinbad's tent was the largest, obviously. Probably to fit his enormous swollen head, Dimitri thought. Left with no other choice, he snuck into the nearest tent, which happened to be Jed's. The man wasn't asleep yet thank goodness, so he didn't have to risk having his head chopped off trying to wake the most paranoid man in the universe.

"Hey," he hissed, "Jed, can you give me a hand?"

Said man stared at him with one suspicious eye.

Dimitri sighed. "Look, I need help, alright? It'll just take you five minutes."

All he got in response was more staring.

"… Jed, if I don't have a tent, the clams will get me in the night."

"DEVILISH MOLLUSKS!" Jed exclaimed, sitting upright. Dimitri hurriedly shushed him, but Jed was already out of his tent and frantically undoing the knots from his rope. Dimitri watched him work with mild surprise and no little satisfaction; it was good to know he could still manipulate people, even the not-so-sane.


	33. Chapter 33

Sinbad didn't sleep at all well that night. The shadow of the Troodos mountains blocked the moonlight and the beach was cast into a black shadow. He lay awake for hours, waiting for Dimitri to sneak into his tent like he'd been doing for the past couple of nights on the ship. He never came. Eventually he succumbed to a fitful sleep, one where he jerked awake at every sound. He never slept well on land. Perhaps the lack of movement made him uneasy – the steady rocking of the ship was a motion that had become a part of him.

But whether it was the lack of a warm body next to his or the steadiness of the ground, Sinbad awoke the next morning feeling grouchy and unrested. He pulled on his clothes for the previous day and stumbled out of his tent. Clouds blotted out any sun they might have had and seemed to promise rain soon. He rubbed his face and made a mental note to shave as soon as he was back on the ship. This was going to be a rotten day, he could just tell.

Little by little, the occupants of each tent woke up and climbed out to begin the day. Breakfast consisted of porridge with bits of dried fruit in it, cooked in a fat kettle over a fire. Dimitri crawled out of his tent, swinging his arms to get the blood circulating again. The bad weather was no big deal to him; he was used to grey skies. He had slept quite well in fact, having missed being on steady ground and was in a rather good mood.

Kale handed him a bowl of porridge as he walked up. "Sleep well?"

"Absolutely." He took the bowl and walked over to the breakfast circle that had formed. "Morning!"

"Good morning. You seem quite happy today, my friend!" Rat looked up long enough from his bowl to speak. Unwilling to use utensils, he was shoveling most of the porridge with his right hand.

"Well, what can I say? Dry land agrees with me." Dimitri cast a glance at the faces around him. "Where's our fearless leader?"

"He went down the beach." Rat point back over his shoulder with his breakfast-covered hand. "He does not like the land as well as you, I think. But then, perhaps none of us do."

Jin and Li nodded in synch. "It's good for buying things in cities and stuff, but I'd rather be on a boat," said Li. "It's harder for things to sneak up on you."

"Too bad there aren't more girls," said Jin morosely.

"You get plenty of girls when we make port. You don't need them distracting you while you're working." Kale nudged him and then stood up to get seconds of breakfast.

Dimitri briefly considered going to see how Sinbad was doing, but eventually decided against it. If he was going to be insufferable, he had no reason to take pity on him just because they were on dry land where humans were meant to be.

And if he was going to continue being a jerk, then Dimitri certainly wasn't sneaking into his quarters anymore. He could hold out. He was fairly certain of that. Somewhat certain.

About an hour later Sinbad walked back into their camp just as they were cleaning up from breakfast.

"Alright, it looks like there's good fishing just down the coast. Li, Jin. Take the cabin boy and go see what you can catch. Kale, check the coast to see if there are any wrecks to salvage. The rest of you are with me. We'll head inland and see if there are any fresh supplies to be had." He didn't once look at Dimitri and his voice sounded irritated.

The crew jumped to action. The twins pulled a couple of fishing rods out of one of the chests. The rest of the men gathered up swords, shovels, and axes and started after Sinbad. The thick jungle at the base of the mountain was dark and it started to rain as the group separated.

"Hey Dimitri! How good are you at fishing?" Jin asked as his brother went to fetch the nets.

"I, uh… the best thing I ever managed was to barter with a salesman and bought a trout for just a kopek."

The twins stared at him with raised eyebrows. Dimitri sighed. "I'm trying to say that I've never fished."

"Oooooh," they said together in synchronized understanding.

"Never fished? You must have been rich or something where you came from." Li handed him a net as they started off down the beach.

"Yeah," added Jin. "Around here everybody can fish. Not as well as us, but it's a good way to eat if you don't have money."

"I'm not rich," Dimitri said a little morosely, "And most city people just buy their fish."

He had to take off his shoes and roll up his pants before he followed Jin and Li into the water. He wasn't sure why he had done it since he was getting wet under the rain anyway, but it had seemed necessary.

"I guess so. They have giant markets in some places. The one in Cairo is supposed to be amazing; did you know that you can buy crocodile meat there?" Asked Li.

"You're making that up," Jin accused.

"Am not! Sinbad said so, and he's been there before."

Jin pulled some pickled herring out of a little box that he had picked up with the fishing things and stuck it on a hook. "Here, cast that." He handed the rod to Dimitri.

"Oh. Uh… Right." He had no idea what he was doing, but he threw the line out anyway. It barely flew a foot. After enduring the hysterical laughter of the twins, he finally got one of them to give him a few pointers.

The three of them spent a rather enjoyable time after that catching as much fish as they could. Dimitri's meager count of two was nothing compared to the twins' dozens but he was fairly impressed with himself, considering he had never before fished in his life.

The rain started to pick up and eventually they started back towards the camp. Between the surf and the rain, all three were thoroughly drenched and dreaming of dry clothes and a bite to eat. They carried the fish in a basket between them, and the weight was enough that even the twins were puffing a bit by the time they made their slippery way back across the beach.

A trail of steam rose from where the camp was. The rain must have gotten to the cooking fire too. They stumbled up to the camp and then all three paused.

The place had been trashed. Tents lay trampled on and shredded in the sand, supply boxes had been tipped over, weapons lay abandoned on the ground. The camp had been pillaged.


	34. Chapter 34

"What happened?" Li ran to his tent that had been ripped apart, his brother following suit.

Dimitri looked around for signs of the others. "You don't think people found out you came back to Cyprus, maybe?" he wondered anxiously. "You did say you're not exactly welcome back here."

"This looks like it was torn apart by a bear, not a person!" Li lifted up his tattered tent.

"But all of the supplies are all still here," said Jin in confusion as he righted one of the chests and closed the lid to keep its contents from spilling out again. "So we weren't robbed."

Something gleamed in the sand next to Dimitri. It was one of Sinbad's long swords.

He knelt down and ran his hand over the handle, feeling cold fear creep into his insides. Of the few things he understood about Sinbad, he knew that the man would never venture out alone without his weapons.

"I don't think they were after the supplies," he said.

"What happened here?" Came a voice. Kale stepped around the remains of another tent, confusion written all over his face. He had his scimitar drawn.

"Kale, have you seen the others?" Dimitri marched towards him.

Kale shook his head, sending rainwater sliding down his face. "I just got here. Did you find anything yet?" He turned to look at the twins, who were busy trying to set the camp to rights.

"Nothing Kale, it's like something just came in and messed up the camp for the hell of it," called Li.

"Yeah, nothing is missing or anything."

"Sinbad's sword is just lying there," Dimitri pointed at the weapon lying on the wet sand. "I'm starting to think there was an actual fight that happened here."

"A fight?" Kale looked over the mess. "With who? Nobody was supposed to know we were here."

"Maybe Jed's clams came and trashed the place," snickered Jin as he walked by with the pieces of a smashed crate.

"Something seriously bad happened here!" Dimitri snapped. He turned to Kale. "I think we should go look for them."

"Settle down Dimitri. Let's just try to figure out what happened here first." He sheathed his scimitar and leaned down to look at the sand while the twins argued about whether clams could actually move around on land.

Dimitri ignored them and followed behind Kale. He had the mad urge to get away from this beach; what if the culprits were hiding nearby, waiting to get them too?

"And what exactly are you looking for?" he asked, trying to curb his impatience.

"I may just be a pirate, but I know a little bit about tracks." Kale outlined one with his finger, making the indent more visible in the wet sand. It was much larger than the boot prints around it, and had wide, splayed toes. Even as they watched, the rain slowly washed it away.

Dimitri peered at the quickly fading shape in the sand but was instantly knocked forward when someone jumped onto his shoulders.

"Kale, what did you find?" Jin exclaimed while Dimitri spit out sand.

"Yeah, something cool?" He was knocked right back into the sand when Li joined his twin in standing on him.

He struggled until they finally moved off of him and he pushed his face out of the sand, coughing and sputtering. "That was…" he wheezed, "Real helpful." He wiped furiously at his face with his sleeve, trying not to get any sand in his eyes.

"Dimitri might not be wrong about there being an attack." Kale straightened and kicked his boot over the track outline. "Grab your weapons and stashed any of the supplies you can under the tent tarps so that they don't get wet." He stepped naturally into the role of their leader.

The twins set about quickly fixing whatever they could. They armed themselves with their own weapons and came to stand next to Kale. Dimitri retrieved Sinbad's fallen sword on impulse. It was strange, holding such an archaic weapon. He probably would have felt more comfortable holding a pistol. The most sword fighting experience he had came from observing the imperial guards training at the palace when he was a boy.

He gripped the sword tightly and turned to Kale. He was used to walking into dangerous situations by now, so his voice was quite steady when he spoke. "Well? Which way do we go?"

"That should be obvious." Kale nodded towards the jungle. There were long gouges in the sand, as it something heavy (or a couple somethings) had been dragged into the trees. "I don't think it should be very hard to find them and figure out what happened. Do you know how to use that?" He nodded at the sword Dimitri was holding as they started off towards the thick trees.

"Not really, but it can't be too hard!" he replied, easily keeping up with Kale. He had always been light and quick on his feet, which had come in handy very often during his thieving days.

They crashed through the underbrush, no doubt disturbing the wildlife from its usual peace. Kale was the one tracking the path these mysterious assailants took, and the other three followed diligently. Dimitri couldn't help but marvel at yet another predicament he never thought he'd find himself in: saving a bunch of pirates on a Mediterranean island. If they did manage to rescue Sinbad, he was going to have enough gloating material for a week.

The foliage kept the worst of the rain off, but it was still wet and hot in the trees, and branches scratched them as they passed and the undergrowth hid slippery mud and exposed roots. Li tripped over one and was sent sprawling while his brother howled with laughter. Kale shot them a look over his shoulder and they both quickly fell silent.

The trail wasn't hard to follow. Shredded vegetation and broken tree branches showed the way. Occasionally there was a splash of something crimson, but whether it was the blood of the crew or their assailants, nobody could tell. It was a sobering sight, though.

The trail of blood steadily increased, making the group dread what they would find at the end of their search. Their straightforward path suddenly veered left judging by the abrupt change of directions the stains left, and so they turned as well, only to plough through the last remaining trees into a clearing. What they stumbled upon made their jaws drop.

A large stone edifice loomed above them, jutting out of the base of a tall mountain. It had spires that ended in sharp points, and enormous stained-glass windows that hadn't been cleaned in what looked like centuries. It looked just like a gothic cathedral to Dimitri, and looked just as drab as he considered them to be.

"Who would build something like this here?" Li asked in awe.

"A misanthropic bishop?" he ventured.

Jin rubbed at his eyes and blinked harder at the stone structure. "Do you think that's where the others are?"

Dimitri's eyes fell to the ground; there were deep footprints peppered with drops of blood leading to the large double doors. "As much as I hate to say it, I think it is."

The front doors of the place were wide open, as if to welcome them inside. Water and mud had washed inside, and it was clear that there was nobody there to clean up the mess. The giant entry was deserted and rang with the sound of their footsteps.

"Where do you think they went?" Whispered Li.

Kale looked around. The mud trailed off after a couple of steps and there weren't any more blood droplets to track. "We should spread out and search."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Li's eyes darted all around the giant room as they walked.

"Do you have a better one?"

"No…"

Dimitri had wandered a few steps ahead, looking around to see if maybe he could spot something that Kale had missed.

"This way . . . " Came a soft voice.

His head jerked right as he heard a faint voice. He turned on his heel, looking behind him. Other than his companions, there was no one else in sight.

"Did you hear that?" he asked them urgently. His eyes darted around the place, trying to find any movement.

Kale and the twins looked over at him. "Hear what?"

"That voice," he hissed, "It's coming from... I came from somewhere, I heard it!" He turned on his heel, looking every which way.

"Coming from where?" Kale walked over next to him and looked around.

I don't know... but I heard it! It might have come from there!" He pointed down the hallway to his left.

They started down the passage. The ceiling was vaulted almost thirty feet up and there were no windows. The entire place seemed as silent as a tomb except for the faint sound of their footsteps and breathing. Even the twins had fallen silent.

"Are you sure you heard something?" Asked Jin in a hushed whisper.

"Yes!" Dimitri insisted, "It was faint, but I heard it!"

The corridor up ahead split into two different directions. They group halted as Dimitri looked at each end, keeping his ears strained for the voice.

The only thing that met their ears was silent.

"Are you sure it wasn't just the wind, Dimitri?" Kale looked at him curiously.

He kept glancing this way and that, hoping for some sort of sign. He rounded on Kale, jaw clenched tightly until he spoke. "Look, I'm telling you I heard someone! It wasn't the wind, it was clearly a voice!"

"This way . . ."

The voice flowed into his ear and sent chills through his entire body. He snapped his head to the corridor on the right and took off at a run, heedless of whether the others were following him.

"Dimitri! Wait!" They dashed after him.

He tore down the hall, his eyes focusing on the large black door at the end. The voice's urgency heightened in his mind and he all but threw himself over the ornate handle shaped like a lion's paw. Wrenching it open, Dimitri stepped in, taking no notice of the room's appearance right away.

"Who's in here?" he called out, "Who are you?"

The door slammed shut behind him.


	35. Chapter 35

Dimitri could hear Kale and the twins pounding on it from the other side, but it seemed to come from a long way off. Flickering candles filled the room, illuminating a king's ransom worth of treasure. Chests of silks overflowed onto the Persian carpets on the floor. Stacks of coins gleamed in the candlelight. Loose gems were stacked in silver bowls, just begging to be picked up.

The pounding of the door against his back was what finally roused Dimitri from the wealth surrounding him in the room. Even after all this time, his eye just naturally deviated towards priceless objects. He turned around and jiggled the handle, but it wouldn't open. There was no visible lock, how was this possible? He tried to pull the door open, even bracing his foot against the wall to give him more balance, but it wouldn't budge.

The pounding and frantic voices of his friends behind the door slowly ebbed. Dimitri's heart thudded when they went completely silent.

"Guys? Hey, are you still there?" he pounded at the door, but no one responded. "Guys!"

He dropped his head forward, hitting the door one last time out of frustration. With no other choice, he turned back to look at the room. The voice had come from here, he was sure of it. He walked as quietly as he could, keeping his eyes peeled for movement.

Everything in this room would be enough to buy him ten mansions in the south of France. Dimitri couldn't help but let his guard slip as he was drawn in to the various luxuries strewn about. Who did this all belong to?

There was a small statue perched precariously on top of another chest. It was a man with a beard and crossed arms. The statue's skin looked like polished onyx, while his hip wrap and head were as golden as the coins that littered the treasure room. It seemed to watch Dimitri as he gazed at the splendor around him. It was unlike any statue he had ever seen. Its origins were certainly very mysterious, and Dimitri knew a fair bit about art, considering he had convinced enough people to buy fake pieces. If he weren't concerned with more pressing matters, he might have stopped to observe it a little more.

"Is there anyone here?" he called out again, "I heard you. You've got me separated from my friends, is that what you wanted?" He threw his hands up and let them fall against his sides. He most certainly felt like he was being watched; now he just had to figure out where the watcher was hiding.

A wisp of smoke moved through the shadowed room, twining around his legs and dispersing through the hoard. It snaked its way through the chests and barrels before finally wrapping around the statue and vanishing into it.

"This way . . ."

"You've got to be kidding me." He was supposed to believe that a statue had been calling him this whole time? Then again, he had been flung almost two thousand years into the past, so this really shouldn't surprise him.

He cautiously approached the statue, now more wary of it. What was he supposed to do, talk to it?

"This is ridiculous." He reached out and gently brushed the statue's shoulder with the tips of his fingers.

Instantly the entire room filled with a blinding white light. There was a rumbling noise as if the ground underneath his feet was collapsing. Dimitri threw up his arm to shield his eyes but it seemed to pierce right through his eyelids with the strength of the sun. He fell to the ground, and turned his head away until the brilliant light vanished. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked back at where the statue stood, afraid of what he might see.

The statue had fallen onto the floor and rolled against the wall. In its place sat a tall, slender man in ornate robes, trimmed in golden thread. He had long, flowing black hair that was as luscious as a woman's and piercing golden eyes.

Dimitri gaped at the newcomer; there was an almost imperceptible glow around him, but enough that it illuminated the treasures nearest to him.

In the fact of uncertainty, it never hurt to be polite, Dimitri thought as he stood up. He cleared his throat and tried to smile as pleasantly as he could. "Hello, sir. You wouldn't, ahm… How should I put this…You wouldn't be the one who was calling to me from that statue, would you?"

Well, if that didn't sound silly to his ears.

"I am," answered the stranger. He brought up a long, slender hand and pushed his hair back over his shoulder. His movements were graceful and refined, a stark contrast to the roughness of the pirates that he had been keeping company with.

"Right, right." Dimitri crossed his arms as he always did when making casual conversation, though he was feeling far from casual right now. Something told him that running away would be a very bad idea, though. "And you are?" he asked, extending a hand towards the man.

The man looked at his hand as if it had dirt on it, his lip curling. "I am Balashi, djinn of the statue. You have freed me from my long years of imprisonment by touching the statue."

"A djinn?" Dimitri rubbed his face wearily. "This just keeps getting better and better." He raised his voice again, changing it to be pleasantly mild. "I take it this isn't your place, then? You wouldn't happen to have seen a bunch of pirates, probably taken here by force?"

"I see everything that goes on around me, though I find my ability to act on them...limited." He waved his hand and a mirror appeared behind him. A scene appeared in it, with fuzzy edges. The missing crew sat propped against wooden stakes, their arms bound behind them. All of them were scratched up and looked like they'd been fighting. Around them prowled black monsters with only a single eye. Occasionally one would poke one of their captives with a club or the butt of a spear, promoting a torment of abuse and profanity from the crew member. Sinbad was propped next to Jed and was sporting a black eye and a cut on his forehead. Luckily most of them appeared to be in fairly good shape, if being surrounded by monsters and tied up could be considered 'good shape'.

Dimitri watched the scene unfold with increasing horror. He had never seen the crew in a state of submission before, and it was more than disconcerting. Sinbad especially had been knocked off his cocky perch and looked positively murderous.

"Where are they being kept?" he demanded, looking back up at Balashi.

"Somewhere in the keep, I'm sure." The djinn crossed his legs under his long robes, looked unconcerned. "But you'll never be able to save them."

"Oh! Right, like I'm going to just leave them there!" Dimitri spat, "Look, what are those things, Cyclopes? They must have a weakness, right? Is it the eyes?"

"The Cyclopes are the least of your concern. If they were, your crew would have already been eaten."

"Then what are they keeping them for?" Dimitri gestured violently at the mirror. "Look, why are you telling me all of this if you're not going to help?"

Balashi smiled grimly. "They are keeping them for their queen. She likes her food . . . kicking."

"Kicking," Dimitri repeated, dumbfounded. He shook his head to gather his wits back. "It doesn't matter!" he said vehemently, "They're still alive right now, aren't they? Then there's still a chance! Look, just let me out of this room if you're not going to help!"

"Did I say anything about not helping?"

His mouth opened and closed like a fish's for a few moments. "So… so you will help me?" he asked after finding his voice again.

"I am bound to obey the will of my master - he who awakens me from the statue."

"Your m—wait, what?" Dimitri looked at him as if he were unhinged. "Are you saying that because I touched your little figurine over there, I own you now?"

The djinn's eyes narrowed and his long hair started to move as if by some magical wind. "I am owned by none, little man. You only have my favor for three wishes and then we are through."

Dimitri stood his ground as the very air seemed to crackle around Balashi. "Okay, okay!" he said, holding up placating hands. "This is more like a partnership, I get it!"

"Call it what you will, mortal. Now," he held up one pale finger. "I cannot raise the dead and you may not wish for more wishes." He shrugged and his robe slipped off of one of his shoulders. "Other than that, you could have anything. Wealth. Power." He reached out his hand and trailed the tips of his fingernails up Dimitri's throat to his chin, the caress strangely erotic. "Anything."

Dimitri gulped and moved away. "That's… tempting and all, but I'd rather focus on saving my friends right now." He spread his arms out expectantly. "So… I wish my friends were safe. Does that work?"

He watched Balashi, wondering if he was about to create an impressive light show of some sort.

The djinn sighed and waved his hand. There wasn't even a spark of anything remotely magical, but the next moment the scene in the mirror showed the crew getting to their feet and rubbing rope-burned wrists, looking baffled. The Cyclopes were nowhere to be seen.

"How dull."

They were safe, at least. Dimitri gazed at the familiar unharmed men in the mirror with tired relief. Their rescue had happened so fast and without any hitch, he almost felt that it hadn't happened at all.

"Oh no, would you look at that," Balashi leaned back on his elbows on top of the chest, an ornate pipe appearing in one hand and trailing silver smoke. The crew was suddenly scrambling to find weapons or cover. There was no sound coming from the mirror, so it was impossible to hear what was being shouted. A giant black claw came into view, swatting that the men and scattering them.

Dimitri's blood froze. A monstrous head, emerging into view, followed the enormous claw. The beast opened its gaping jaws, showing rows of sharp teeth, saliva dripping from its tongue.

He rounded on Balashi, his hands balling into fists. "I wished for them to be safe, not thrust into more danger!"

Balashi shrugged his bare shoulder. "You wished them to be safe. You didn't specify what they were to be safe from, so I removed them from the most immediate danger. Next time you should be more specific."

"A loophole, great." Under normal circumstances, Dimitri would have admired the craftiness of the djinn, but right now Rat was getting tossed around like a rag doll by the monster. "Alright, alright! I wish for them to be safe, from any danger on this damn island! No monsters, no Cyclopes, no traps, nothing!" He narrowed his eyes at Balashi, wishing to take a swing at him if he didn't think it would make things worse. "Is that specific enough for you?"

"Perfectly so." He waved his hand again and the giant monster queen dissolved into ash. "They'll be safe until you leave the island. Two down, one to go."


	36. Chapter 36

That was it, then. They could get off this damn island safe and sound. Dimitri was about to wish for himself to get out of this place as well, but another thought came to him.

What if he wished to go home, back to his own time? The djinn would surely have the power to do so. Now that he knew the crew was safe, he could go back to Paris. He could return to modern plumbing, electricity, to the world he was born in. He could return to Anya, and tell her… tell her what, exactly? Even if he could go back, Dimitri knew that he had been altered by what he had been through. He didn't even know if he could look her in the face after what he had done with Sinbad. He couldn't even explain to himself why it had happened. If he were to leave her alone, he would go back to Saint Petersburg and return to his dreary existence, living on forged papers and theft.

"But I don't belong here," he murmured to himself.

The djinn smiled like a cat and another mirror appeared. This one showed a beautiful girl with an elfin face and wide blue eyes. She was dressed in a yellow dress and her hair was pinned up under an ornate diamond tiara. Her lips parted and she bit down on the bottom one as if she was nervous. A heavy velvet curtain hid most of her from view as she watched foreign dignitaries dance in a ballroom. No sound came from this mirror either, but there must have been music playing.

"She's quite lovely," mused Balashi, licking his lips as if he was being presented with a treat.

Dimitri recognized Anya the moment her image had appeared in the mirror. She was wearing the same gown he had seen her in the last time they had spoken. Every inch of him ached as he watched her walk away from the light of the ballroom. He almost wanted to reach out and press his hand against the mirror, hoping he would be able to walk right through.

"Are you a mind reader or something?" he asked, turning pained eyes at Balashi. "How did you know where I come from?"

"Magic," replied the djinn flippantly. "I can send you back, you know. It would be as if you had never left."

"I…" He looked back into the mirror. She looked every inch the princess she was meant to be. He wasn't worthy of her, Dimitri thought. He was the kitchen boy and what was worse; he was the kitchen boy who claimed to love her and then turned around and slept with a man. Unusual circumstances aside, the knife of guilt still twisted into his stomach until he thought he would be ill.

There was no reason for him to stay here, though. He was no pirate and he probably should get off that ship before it killed him.

"I guess no one here would miss me too much," he said dryly.

"You think so?" The mirror of Cyprus gleamed, drawing his attention. Kale and the twins had run into the courtyard and were checking over their shipmates. Sinbad had picked his hat up from off of the ground and was talking to him, though the words were lost. Then he looked around as if he was trying to find somebody. Kale shook his head and pointed back behind him. He must have been explaining about the doors and Dimitri's disappearance.

Dimitri's mouth hung slightly open as he watched the interaction between Kale and his captain. He quickly cleared his throat and looked away. "Yes well, of course he's concerned now. But if I go home, I'm sure he'll find a new cabin boy in no time."

He ignored the uncomfortable niggling feeling at the back of his mind.

Sinbad turned and ran into the building.

Dimitri gaped at the mirror. "He's not actually—" He whipped his head to Balashi. "What is that parrot-brained pirate doing!"

"I may not know very much about men, but it looks like he's worried about you." The mirror of Paris flashed, drawing their eyes. Anastasia was dashing through what looked like a maze, chasing after a floppy-eared dog. Thorns reached out to grab at her, tearing her dress. There was fear in her eyes as she ran.

"No. No, NO! What's going on?" Dimitri's eyes tore away from Sinbad to stare helplessly as Anya was attacked. "Are you doing this to her? ARE YOU!" He grabbed the front of Balashi's robes, twisting so hard it might have ripped had it been ordinary fabric.

A wave of magic knocked him back into a table, sending coins bouncing and rolling across the floor.

"Impertinent mortal!" Balashi snarled and straightened his robes. "That is polluted dark magic and not of my making. Attack me again and I will take your life and use your soul for a play thing."

Pain shot from the back of his head down to his back. He squinted at the now angry djinn and rose unsteadily to his feet. His knees buckled and he had to lean against the table he had just hit.

"Alright," he said through gritted teeth, "Can you help her?"

"No. My magic does not work through time." His voice was cold.

"Then I have to go back!" Dimitri could see Anya fall over as the vines snagged at her dress. Her tiara had fallen off and slid away near the Alexander III Bridge. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it might burst out of his chest.

In the Cyprus mirror, Sinbad had reached the black door and was pounding on it frantically, his mouth working as he shouted. Even though he was just outside of the room, no sound penetrated it.

"He seems very eager to have you back," said Balashi in amusement.

Dimitri couldn't look at either mirror anymore. He knew he should wish to be back home right this moment to save Anya. The desperation written on Sinbad's face was only temporary; if Dimitri left, he'd get over it soon enough. Yet he couldn't get the words to come out of his mouth. He was still as a statue, torn between the sights in the two mirrors.

"He's a very handsome man. Perhaps I will play with him once you are gone. Humans can be such . . . pleasurable diversions."

"This is all a sick game to you, isn't it?" Dimitri hissed.

Balashi spread his hands. "What else is life to me?"

A shadowy figure loomed closer to Anya in one mirror while Sinbad was still desperately hitting the door in the other. Dimitri was getting frantic.

"If I go back to my time now, what will you do to Sinbad?"

"Who can tell? He's very headstrong, don't you agree?" The two mirrors went dark and then vanished, cutting off his view of both worlds.

Dimitri was livid. "What do you mean, 'who can tell'? Yes, he's more stubborn than an ass and a self-centered pirate but I'm not letting you hurt him either!"

"What does it matter to you? You'll leave and go save the heir apparent. You'll be hailed as a national hero, sweep her off in your arms, and live happily ever after." His voice was bored. "What do you care about one filthy pirate?"

"I just don't want you to do anything to him once I'm gone or have him get killed trying to find me!" Dimitri's voice became hoarse. "Which that idiot will probably end up doing because he's not going to leave until those doors open!"

Balashi got off of the trunk and wander over to a stack of pillows before sinking onto them with casual grace. "I think he's talking about finding some explosives to blow them down at the moment. Goodness, how rash. How did you ever manage to find him?"

"I…" Dimitri waved his hands in frustration. He was not in the mood for a leisurely conversation, but there was no way he was going to upset the djinn again. He placed his hands on his hips to keep himself from lunging forward and punching Balashi. "I didn't find him, he found me. He dragged me unconscious on his ship."

Balashi chuckled. He didn't seem to be in any hurry at all. "He sounds like a forceful personality. Too bad he's not the one granting your wishes, eh?"

Dimitri snorted. "Yeah, I wish. Then he'd be forced to listen to me once in a while."

Balashi's eyes lit up with a manic sort of glee. "Done." Instantly the white light filled the room again and the ground quaked under his feet, knocking him back into the table again. When it cleared, there was no sign of the djinn. Dimitri couldn't register what had just occurred; he was trying to regain his breath after knocking his stomach against the table. He wheezed as he stood up, almost falling to his knees. He willed the pain to recede so he could focus again. Sound slowly returned. He could actually hear the shouting from outside of the room. Sinbad was yelling at Jed to hurry up with the bombs and blow the damn door down already.

"Oh sh—" Dimitri scrambled to his feet and flung himself at the door, hoping against hope that this time it would open. He pulled at it with more force than necessary and stumbled backwards as it opened wide, revealing the entire crew armed to the teeth right in front of him.

Sinbad was about to touch a fuse to a handful of small bombs in his hand, but yanked it back just in time when the doors opened. They starred at each other through the doorway for a long moment. Finally Sinbad raised one eyebrow in his normal cocky manner, as if he hadn't just been about to blow the doors down.

"Lock yourself in?"

For the first time since they'd met, Dimitri was relieved to see him return to his snarky self. He looked a little worse for wear, but otherwise unharmed.

"Yes, I locked myself in," he deadpanned. His eyes scanned the men behind Sinbad. "Is everyone alright?"

"Of course we are, aren't we Kale?"

"Of course, Captain."

"See? There you go." Sinbad walked past him and into the treasure room. It was as if all of his concern had just been an act. Of course, Dimitri had seen how frantic he had been in the mirror. Now that Balashi was gone, the full reality of what had transpired began to sink in. That last wish… he hadn't meant it, it had been a spur of the moment.

What had happened to Anya? He turned away, feeling momentarily nauseous. He should have wished to go home; he should be saving her from whatever horrid fate Balashi had shown him. But what if that had been an illusion, a means to trick him? And then there was…

He glanced at Sinbad who was busy admiring all of the treasures in the room. The man had been ready to blow the door down just to get at him. For all of his posturing, Sinbad did have a human side. In fact, Dimitri hadn't expected him to be so genuinely worried.

"Looks like we've hit the jackpot, boys!" Sinbad was rubbing his hands together, looking around the room. It must have been one of his biggest wet dreams. The rest of the crew started to fill their pockets with coins and gems, while Kale hoisted an entire chest onto his shoulder.

"Oh that's nice." Sinbad spotted a small statue lying against the wall, halfway hidden by a chest.

"No, don't!" he dove forward and grabbed it with both hands, gripping it tight. He almost expected Balashi to come rushing out again, but nothing happened.

Everyone in the room stared at him as he stood there, clutching at the statue like a lifeline.

"I, um…" He cleared his throat and composed himself. "I saw this first, actually. I'd like to keep it for myself if you don't mind. Besides, look at all the other treasures in here."

Sinbad looked startled. "Well I guess if you really want it." He shrugged and wandered over to a pile of furs and started to dig through them. Kale gave Dimitri a questioning look.

He didn't notice as the twins thumped him on the back while Rat hugged him from behind accosted him.

"Hey, Dimitri! You're alive!" Jin exclaimed before whispering to his brother. "Pay up."

"You should have seen the monsters that had us!" Rat waved his fingers wildly, "They were the most horrid things I have ever seen! And then they just disappeared like smoke!"

Dimitri just smiled and accepted their earnest relief. It was odd, having so many people care for him; he couldn't remember having that in the twentieth century. The crewmembers finally managed to pack up most of the treasure and hauled it out back towards the ship. They were all more than ready to get off this accursed island.

None of them mentioned the statue again. They seemed content to leave that to Dimitri, satisfying their natural greed with the other treasures. That evening they all gathered back on the Chimera. They had gathered what supplies they could on their way back from the keep, but it was clear that nobody wanted to dally.

Dimitri cast his eyes over to the island. It looked so inoffensive and peaceful. Who would have thought there would be a hidden ruined building with supernatural tricksters there?

The setting sun set the normally green flora into a brilliant blaze of orange. The Chimera itself bathed in the glow and Dimitri would stay out here until the last rays were gone.

"Next stop, Cairo!" he heard Luca call behind him.

He could only hope that trip would be less eventful.


	37. Chapter 37

The night saw the Chimera far from the coast of Cyprus. The entire crew breathed a sigh of relief when it finally vanished into the distance. Dimitri's was probably the most fervent of them all. It wasn't that he hadn't encountered the arcane before – it was kind of hard to deny when it had chased them all of the way to Paris – but this was something else entirely. He'd lost his chance to get back home, and for what? He looked towards the back of the ship, confusion warring with depression inside of him.

Sinbad watched from up the quarter deck while the rest of the crew packed up their things for the night. Rat had lit the ship's lanterns, swooping around from the ropes like a bird in flight. Now the entire ship glowed with a rich orange light. It glimmered off of the choppy water. Clearly they weren't worried about being spotted tonight.

"Why are we leaving the lanterns lit tonight?" Dimitri asked kale as he walked by with a coil of rope.

Kale jerked his head up towards where Sinbad stood. "Sinbad's made quite a name for himself in this area. We're the only ones with sails this color. If any ship spots us in the night, they'll know that it's Sinbad and keep away. It's the best way to assure a restful night." He dropped the coil or rope down at the base of one of the sails. Rat instantly descended onto it and hauled it off to parts unknown.

"So," said Kale. "You want to tell me what happened in that room?" He leaned against the side of the ship and smoothed his hand across his shaven head.

Dimitri blew out a breath through puffed up cheeks. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said with a dry chuckle.

Kale shrugged. "Try me."

He was going to enjoy seeing the look on Kale's face after this retelling. "Alright, if you insist." He pulled the little statue out of his vest pocket and held it up. It glowed orange from the lamplight dangling just above them.

"You see this thing here? Apparently there was a djinn living inside it and I freed him. So he gave me three wishes, which I used to get you all out of danger. And then he disappeared right before all of you tried to blow up the door." He looked at Kale expectantly. "Well, what do you think? Too far-fetched?"

Kale gave him a flat look, but his pecs had started to shake. He was doing a very bad job of not laughing. "Maybe somebody will hire you as a story teller once you finally get yourself fired."

"Hey, aren't you all supposed to believe in magic and superstitions and whatnot? This is nearing the Dark Ages, isn't it?" Dimitri slipped the statue back into his vest pocket. "Even I've encountered some supernatural things back in my time."

Seeing that Kale wasn't even trying to contain his laughter now, he pursed his lips. "The djinn showed me an image of the crew tied up and about to be carried off by Cyclopes," he said, "And then I saved you again when their monstrous queen was about to devour you." His brow furrowed as he thought of the next few scenes Balashi had shown him. "He showed me my home, too. He gave me the choice to go back… I could have taken it but I don't know why I didn't."

"Hm. Well, if that true then it sounds you have a lot to think about." Kale looked up as his name was called from below deck. "Just remember," he added, clapping Dimitri on the shoulder as he walked past, "if you found one way to get home, there's probably another somewhere else."

Dimitri wished he could be as optimistic as Kale. He leaned against the ship's railing and watched the last of the sun descend beneath the horizon. Had he gone back home, he would be gazing at the Parisian nightlife instead. His heart clenched at the thought of Anya left in danger from an unknown assailant. With the amount of times he had saved her, there had to have been one instance in which he failed. He was only human, after all.

He ran a hand over his weary face; had he gone back, he would have felt the same twisting guilt over leaving Sinbad at the mercy of that djinn. Why had he jumped to Sinbad's rescue so quickly? Here he was, leaving the woman he supposedly loved in danger and saving a selfish pirate instead. A selfish pirate who had turned tail the moment he had gone missing and threatened to blow up an old ruined building just to get him back.

Nothing made sense anymore in Dimitri's mind. He hung his head and closed his eyes, hoping to stave off the headache blooming at the back of his skull.

"Vlad, I wish you were here," he whispered to the waves below him. "You'd steer me back on the right path like you always do."

It didn't take long for the crew to seek out their bunks. It had been both a mentally and physically exhausting day for all of them. The lantern light seeped through the portholes, bathing the crew's quarters in its faint orange light. The sails flapped quietly in the wind the carried them ever closer to Cairo.

Everyone else may have gone to bed, but Dimitri had other plans. He and Sinbad hadn't really spoken since they had gotten back on the ship, and despite the pirate's complaints about his incessant need to talk, he was too stubborn to relent.

He crept above deck after having thrown his blanket over Rat's face to muffle his snoring and made his way to the captain's cabin. He didn't even know why he was sneaking about; it wasn't like every single person on the ship wasn't aware of this strange liaison of theirs, but it made Dimitri feel better if he at least tried to be discreet.

To his surprise, he found Sinbad still awake and dressed when he cracked open the captain's door. He was digging through a chest, tossing books and bags of coin aside as he looked for something. He didn't appear to have heard Dimitri sneak in.

"Ahem," Dimitri stopped right behind him, arms crossed. "Did you lose something?"

Sinbad jumped and cracked his head on the lid of the trunk. A waterfall of obscenities spilled out of his mouth as he clutched at his head and sat down hard.

Dimitri snorted and quickly covered his mouth to stop more laughter from spilling out. When he was certain he was in control of his mirth, he spoke again. "You're really off your game if you didn't hear me coming in at all."

"I heard you come in, asshole." Sinbad gave his head one last rub and picked up his hat. "But since you're the only one who ever bothers to try to sneak, I knew it was you." He walked over to his desk. "What do you want anyway?"

"Of course you did." He circled around Sinbad leisurely. "So, you were ready to blow up a door just to get to me, huh?" His head gave a short sideway nod. "I can't say I was expecting that."

Sinbad's lip curled. "Don't get a fat head. You're easy to replace after all. I just didn't feel like taking a Cyclops as my new cabin boy until we get to Cairo."

"Of course," Dimitri said, examining his knuckles. Sinbad could play cocky until the end of time; he would never get that image in the mirror out of his head. The ferocity with which he had thrown himself at the door was what had made Dimitri hesitate upon his final wish. He glanced up at Sinbad, wondering how a man could so infuriate and yet captivate him.

"And if I told you that I could have gone home right before you blew up that door, what would you say?"

"I'd say that you probably would have enjoyed living in that closet." He kicked his feet up onto the desk and knocked off a couple of scrolls. He pulled his hat down over his eyes and folded his hands on his stomach, giving every appearance of being done listening.

Dimitri slid next to him, fingers aching to reach out and grab him by the shirt. "If you weren't so pigheaded I might expect a thank you for saving your life. Twice," he added as an afterthought. He flicked Sinbad's hat off his head. "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

Sinbad's eyes snapped open when his hat fell off and he glared at Dimitri. "No, I'm not. Go back to your hammock."

"Since when do I ever listen?" He pulled Sinbad up from the front of his shirt and crashed their lips together. He stopped thinking of Anya, of the djinn, of everything else. He surprised himself at how relieved he was that the man before him was unharmed. All of the fear and anxiety of the day surged up and he pressed himself closer to Sinbad, never breaking the kiss.

Sinbad didn't respond for a long moment. Then his hands curled into the front of Dimitri's shirt, pulling down the taller man with surprising force to deepen the kiss. His tongue thrust into his mouth, their breaths mingling.

"Get. In the bed," he growled.


	38. Chapter 38

Dimitri smirked. "I'll listen to that." He pulled Sinbad along with him until his knees hit the side of the bed and he fell against the mattress. They had barely touched and he could already feel sharp desire pool into his groin.

He was pinned down by Sinbad's hands on his shoulders, the weight of his muscle rendering him nearly immobile. His legs still hung off of the edge of the bed, but Sinbad kneed his way between them, pressing their hips together so that their hips were wedged together.

"Is that what you wanted?" He breathed, doing a long, slow grind against him.

The heavy panting coming from Dimitri's lips was answer enough. He pulled Sinbad's head down so he could run his tongue along the other's lips, demanding entrance. His lower body curled upwards to rub against Sinbad, already feeling a bump against his thigh.

Sinbad reached up and pushed Dimitri's hair back, opening his mouth under the other man's sensual onslaught. Their tongues tangled together, thrusting against each other and mimicking the movements on Sinbad's hips as they ground together.

"You definitely seem unharmed to me," Dimitri said the moment they broke apart for air. His hand snaked down Sinbad's back and squeezed his ass, pressing them even closer together. He had an irrational need to feel this man all over him, to remind him that he was unharmed and that he hadn't made a mistake in staying. The way Sinbad could undo him at the slightest touch was terrifying and yet far more exciting than anything he had ever experienced. Dimitri found himself afraid of never feeling that again if he went home.

"I already told you that I was. Sinbad doesn't get hurt. I'm invinci-" He broke off on a groan and arched his back to press their groins more closely together. "Take – take me out," he panted. "I want your hands on me."

Dimitri's hand shot out to Sinbad's waist the moment he heard those words. His fingers trembled, making it difficult for him to untie his sash, but he slipped it off eventually. Keeping his legs locked around him, he pulled Sinbad's pants down just enough to free his cock and let his fingers slowly trail along its length.

Sinbad sucked in a breath and held it, the feel of Dimitri's fingers on him sending electric shocks of pleasure down his length, making his nerve endings twist.

"Yours too," he said breathlessly.

Dimitri didn't need telling twice; the strain of his pants was making it painful for his erection. He fumbled with his belt, barely managing to whip it out without ripping one of his belt loops.

"I'm not wearing any underwear by the way," he hissed, "You have no reason to laugh now." He unzipped them and shimmied them down to his thighs, now freed as well. He pulled Sinbad back down flush against him and his mouth opened in a wordless cry as their cocks slid against one another. He hooked his fingers into Sinbad's back, desperate to anchor himself lest he melt away.

Sinbad didn't seem nearly as overcome as he was. In fact, he seemed to be getting more wound up with every passing moment. He pressed down hard, lifting his upper body up so that he could put even more pressure behind his hips. His cock was engorged and dripping with precum, but the stimulation of just simply rubbing against each other didn't seem to be enough for him. He let out a hoarse moan and started to thrust in earnest, the tips of their erections rubbing together with each push.

The friction was almost too much for Dimitri's senses. He pushed himself up on his elbows so he could look down and see just how they were sliding against each other. The sight made his mouth water and he swore his cock hardened even more.

With his eyes squeezed shut, Sinbad reached down in between them grabbed both of their cocks with his hand. His fingers weren't even close to closing, but now they both thrust into his hand, his tight grip keeping them pressed together from base to tip.

"Oh gods, that's good…"

"Yes it is," Dimitri agreed, practically breathless. He rocked into Sinbad's hand and clumsily slid his fingers in between them, grabbing them together as well. He let out a high moan he would deny ever emitting later as he felt himself so very close to the edge. His other hand slid up Sinbad's chest, over his hardened nipples poking from his shirt.

The feeling of Sinbad shuddering under his hands was immensely satisfying. The pirate's head dropped to his shoulder, slick with sweat while his lungs worked like bellows. His tongue snaked out and he licked the side of Dimitri's neck. "You close?" He panted.

Dimitri turned his head to face him, releasing his lower lip to say, "I will be after I do this."

He pulled Sinbad's head down and kissed him passionately, letting their tongues tangle once more. This pushed him over the edge and he arched his back as he came, thick white spurts that landed on Sinbad's and his stomach. His desperate moans were lost into the pirate's mouth as he clung onto him for dear life. Every inch of him was numb with ecstasy; he didn't think he would feel anything for a while after that.

He was quickly proven wrong though, because Sinbad bit down on his shoulder and started to come on top of him, climaxing even harder than he had, if that was possible. He came in shuddering waves that seemed to last forever before they finally subsided.

The air wooshed out of Sinbad's lungs and he collapsed on top of Dimitri, the evidence of their pleasure slathered over their chests and bellies and dripping down Dimitri's sides as they tried to catch their breaths.

He ran his fingers with surprising gentleness through Sinbad's hair. It was coarser than his own, but he found it surprisingly soothing to touch. He felt boneless at the moment and incredibly satiated; there was no reason for him to go back to his hammock tonight, he thought. Especially not right now, since it seemed like Sinbad had fallen asleep on top of him.

"Are you serious?" Dimitri huffed. He was suddenly well aware of Sinbad's weight crushing him. With a heave, he pushed him off. Sinbad rolled onto his back but didn't wake. Free from an armful of pirate, Dimitri pushed himself off the bed and went to pick up the rag set next to a water bowl where Sinbad would wash his face before bedtime very night. He dipped the rag in and set about cleaning himself.

He glanced at Sinbad, wondering whether he should just leave him sleeping with a whole mess on his stomach. He'd probably be cranky and disgusting in the morning, which would amuse Dimitri to no end.

"God, I've gone soft," he muttered to himself as he went back to the bed. He quickly wiped Sinbad down and tucked him into his pants for good measure. There was a hint of a cocky smile on the pirate's lips and Dimitri had to chuckle a little at that.

Sinbad cracked open a dark eye at him. "And here I thought you didn't care."

"One of us has to be a gentleman," he replied as he threw the towel away. He sat on the edge of the bed, unsure of whether he could stay now.

That question was quickly answered when Sinbad reached forward and grabbed him by the front of his shirt to drag him back onto the bed. The captain seemed to have a thing for manhandling him, but Dimitri didn't complain. He felt less awkward now that he knew that he knew that he could stay.

"You're welcome by the way," he said before shifting himself more comfortably on the bed. He had never really had a warm body to curl up next to back in Russia. While it was a much warmer climate here, he wasn't complaining. Who knew how soothing it was to sleep next to someone?

"I didn't say…thank you…" replied Sinbad sleepily as his eyes slid shut again. Infuriating to the last. Luckily, Dimitri was too tired to react accordingly and closed his eyes soon after. He had a mattress to sleep on; he didn't want to give that up. He'd pick and choose his battles.


	39. Chapter 39

"Found it!" The triumphant voice awoke Dimitri from his deep sleep the next morning. The bed was warm, but Sinbad's weight was noticeably absent from it. Before he could open his eyes or say anything it was back again, crouched over him and pining the sheets tightly across his midsection. "Morning," said Sinbad cheerfully as his lips descended on Dimitri's neck and started to lick and suck it enthusiastically. He had to be a morning person to have that sort of energy at this hour. They hadn't drawn the curtains over the small windows and it was still dark outside. The only light was reflected off of the water outside.

Annoyed at having been awoken so abruptly, Dimitri could only grumble and swat at him inefficiently. "What'd you find?" he mumbled, deliberately keeping his eyes closed. He would not be affected by necking if he could help it.

"Just a nice little lotion. Are you still sore?" He pulled at the sheets around Dimitri's waist. They had finally taken off the rest of their clothes some times during the night, so his hand slid down the subtle curve of his back and settled on his ass.

"A little." He felt Sinbad's hand squeeze his bottom and turned his head to open one bleary eye up at the pirate. "You're insatiable."

Sinbad chuckled as his fingers slid into the crease of his ass. "I've been told that once in a while. But go back to sleep if you want, I'll just go about my business." One thick finger caressed his entrance.

Dimitri twitched as a shudder ran down his spine. He had become more sensitized down there and Sinbad's ministrations were effectively waking him up.

"Go back to sleep?" He turned to raise an eyebrow at Sinbad. "And miss out on all the fun?"

"Who said anything about fun?" He picked up the glass bottle that he had dropped on the sheets next to him and opened it with his free hand and his teeth. The smell was light and sweet. "Unless you want to tell me no, that is."

"Well if this isn't going to be fun, maybe I should say no." Dimitri flashed him a grin before reaching down to grab his pants off of the floor with deliberate slowness.

Sinbad reached down and smacked his knuckles with the glass bottle. "Don't even think about it."

"Ow!" He pulled his hand back. "Watch it! A simple 'no' would've sufficed!"

"Why would I ever do things in half measures?" He grabbed Dimitri's hand and poured some of the lotion into it. "There. That should ease the soreness. Now put it on yourself, I want to watch." He sat back on his heels, his gaze avid and hungry.

Dimitri blinked and looked down at the lotion on his palm and then back up to Sinbad, his throat suddenly going very dry. "You want to… watch?" He repeated as if he hadn't understood. Oh, he had understood alright, but exhibitionism wasn't something he had been expecting.

"Did I stutter?"

Dimitri took a deep breath. Touching himself wasn't new, but he had never probed himself—for lack of a better word. Doing it in front of Sinbad was positively mortifying. And yet, Dimitri rubbed his hands so that his fingers were slicked up deciding to stop thinking for now and let his hands work of their own accord.

Slowly, his fingers trailed down his stomach, getting used to touching himself. The lotion was cool and left a barely visible trail as his index finger continued down to his navel, then his inner thigh, and lower still. He suddenly felt very hot all over as if the cabin's temperature had risen a hundred degrees in the space of a few seconds. He spread his legs apart, ignoring the burning that had crept up the back of his neck. His finger was hesitant now as it trailed down his inner thigh until… it brushed the ring of his entrance and he froze. There was a deep-seated curiosity that sprang up out of his fear and embarrassment. This was a side of daring Dimitri had never tried to explore before. Jumping off of a moving train, yes. Veering dangerously off the side of a ship during a storm to catch a sleepwalking princess, sure. But to slip into his most intimate, secret part with someone watching? No one could say he never tried anything new.

His finger circled around experimentally; it tickled a little in a not wholly unpleasant way. But when he looked at Sinbad, his breath caught in his throat. The pirate was watching his every move with eyes that betrayed his intense hunger. He looked like a predator, gazing at Dimitri who was so open and so vulnerable, his teeth grazing his lower lip as if he were looking at a feast. That aggressive, aroused gaze was what caused Dimitri's body to flare up and in response; his finger was unwittingly sucked inside his entrance. He gasped.

Sinbad's tongue darted out to wet his lower lip. "That's good. Keeping going," he urged. His voice was low and hoarse, as if he was in pain. He shifted his stance so that he could brace one of his knees against the sheets. His erection was thick and dark, jutting up from a nest of dark curls and demanding attention. He ran his fingers across his tip, spreading the drop of moisture that beaded there across it. The muscles of his stomach contracted and he hissed in a breath between his teeth, clearly aroused by the show that Dimitri was putting on for him. "Touch yourself more," he growled.

Dimitri's eyes roamed from Sinbad's face down to where he was touching himself, and then back up again. He swallowed audibly, bringing his other hand to his chest. His slickened finger slid in and out of his hole; he was opening himself up, Dimitri thought. That realization turned him on more than he expected and he couldn't help but moan softly at the foreign friction. His other hand brushed lightly over one of his hardened nipples and slid down until it lightly trailed over his erection. Emboldened, he slowly forced another finger in and threw his head back with a sharp intake. Both fingers stretched and circled inside of him, feeding his growing lust. Never had he felt so wanton and he was starting to believe that this wasn't a bad thing.

When Dimitri sat back up to lock eyes with Sinbad once more, he was happy to find that the other's lust-filled gaze still affected him. A sharp spike of pleasure rushed straight to his groin and his fingers began to work faster inside of him, his legs spreading further apart of their own accord. He couldn't take much more of this.

"Are you going to just sit there and watch or are you going to make a move?" he growled, his voice just as hoarse as Sinbad's.

"Say please," goaded Sinbad.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding." Dimitri's free hand curled into a fist.

Sinbad laughed as he gripped Dimitri wrist and slowly pulled, so that the other man's fingers slid free of himself. He was glistening with the oil, gleaming even in the dark room.

"Would I kid like that? Surely not." He rested his hand on Dimitri's side and pushed, urging him to roll over onto his stomach.

He rolled his eyes and turned around so he didn't have to look at Sinbad's stupid sexy smirk. That he was totally not turned on by. Not even a little bit. Lips brushed against his shoulder as he turned over and then Sinbad grabbed his hips and tugged him back so that his cock was cradled against him, getting slick in the lotion that he had just put on. Both men groaned at the contact and for a long moment neither of them moved, seeming content just to stay that way. Then Sinbad's fingers trailed down his hip bone and brushed, feather-light, against the base of Dimitri's erection.

It was much different from their previous, much more aggressive encounter. Dimitri found that he enjoyed the gentler aspect of sex just as much as the rough (the latter he still couldn't believe he enjoyed so much). He shivered at Sinbad's ghostly touches and dug his heels in to stop himself from thrusting wantonly into his hand.

"Say when," Sinbad leaned down so that his hard chest was pressed against Dimitri's back, not stopping his gentle touches. He was as warm as a furnace in the dark, cool cabin and he smelled like salt and the ocean.

Since when was Sinbad so—for lack of a better word—nice? It was a bit disconcerting for Dimitri, but not unpleasant. He reveled in the light touches for just a bit longer, and finally said, "I'm ready when you are."

"I've been ready since the last time we did this, damn it." His fingers left off touching him and all of a sudden Dimitri felt his tip press against his sick entrance. "Spread your legs more," commanded Sinbad. He did was he was told and pressed the bulk of his weight atop his elbows.

The intrusion was almost immediate. Sinbad did a slow roll with his hips, pushing himself into Dimitri. He slid in easily this time, or at least the first half of him did. It wasn't so much that he was very long, but oh god was he thick. He bared his teeth in the dark, his dark hair falling forward into his eyes.

It hurt again, but not as badly as last time. Dimitri still bit down on his lower lip, trying to relax. Hopefully this got easier with time. Sinbad was still moving slowly, thank God. He tried to keep perfectly still, even if he wanted to push back instinctively. The still-new sensation of being filled made his head spin.

"Quit acting like a woman and move already!" Sinbad gave a brutal thrust that pushed him all of the way to the hilt.

Dimitri winced at the sharp pain and lost his temper. "Dammit, just ask!" he snapped, pushing back against Sinbad. His anger only seemed to fuel his arousal as the tip of his cock began to drip onto the sheets.

"I don't –" He thrust forward as Dimitri pushed himself back, "- want to have to ask." His hands moved restlessly across his body, alternately grabbing onto his hipbones for leverage and skating across his belly, brushing against his erection. Now they were really getting into the swing of things. Dimitri let Sinbad set the pace and moved in time with him. Every inch of his skin exploded with sensitivity and heated up whenever Sinbad's fingers touched him. He lost the ability to form coherent words and moaned out his appreciation, the back of his ass slapping rhythmically against Sinbad's inner thighs.

His moans seemed to goad Sinbad, because he went even faster, the friction of their bodies quickly making the room seem much warmer, the silvery light of the moon through the portholes illuminating their dark figures just enough to tantalize. One of Sinbad's hands slipped up Dimitri's chest, rubbing his beaded nipple. He was already learning what brought him off the fastest. And indeed, the small touch only spurred Dimitri on. Sinbad was hitting something in him that made him see stars, and he threw his head onto the sheets, biting them to stifle his moans.

"Oh God… Almost… there," he hissed through the fabric. His sweat-coated body slid easily along the sheets with every harsh thrust from Sinbad.

"You are so damn easy," panted Sinbad, just like he had the night on deck when he had first touched him. The hand that wasn't pawing at Dimitri's chest slid down his stomach and curled around his throbbing length. His hands had callouses and were as rough as sandpaper.

"And you're an ass!" Dimitri spat the sheets out of his mouth so he could clearly iterate that. His insult turned into a sinful groan when Sinbad wrapped his hand around him. He tried to hold back his impending orgasm, even as he was being pounded into mercilessly from behind. He knew he wouldn't be able to stop it, but Sinbad's words made him want to delay the sweet inevitable, even as his body screamed for release.

Sinbad let go of his nipple and grabbed his hair, dragging his head back at a painful angle. "Seems like the other way around, since you're the one calling me names." He pulled out almost all of the way and then pushed back in one long stroke that had them both gasping.

With his head arched back into Sinbad's grip, Dimitri came right then and there. His nails dug into the skin of Sinbad's forearms as he shuddered. His cock shot out thick white ropes onto the sheets, sapping him of his strength with every passing moment. His fingers loosened from Sinbad's arms, though angry red crescent marks had been formed.

Sinbad's back bowed as he came almost immediately after Dimitri, his teeth buried in the muscle of his shoulder. He throbbed hard, coming in great, scalding waves. At any other time he might have been ashamed at his lack of stamina, but right now he was riding the edge of 'too much' and 'not enough'. He squeezed his eyes shut as shudders wracked his body.

Dimitri slumped forward onto his knees again, trying to catch his breath. He wriggled forward, trying to get Sinbad out of him. Both of them were covered in semen and sweat (neither of which he was used to being covered in) and he had the mad urge to clean himself.

"And where are you going?" Sinbad wrapped an arm around his stomach so that they weren't completely separated. His softening cock was slick with his own seed and the lotion that Dimitri had put on, but he didn't seem to care.

"Going to clean myself, what does it look like?" Dimitri's eyes rolled upward when Sinbad kept him in place. Why was everything so difficult with this man?

"It's impossible for you to just kick back and enjoy the afterglow, isn't it?"

"Afterglow? What are y—" He sighed. "Fine." He flopped against Sinbad's chest, resting his whole weight against the other man. He supposed it wouldn't kill him to be sticky for a while longer.

His breath whooshed out of him as Dimitri collapsed backwards onto him, but he grinned anyway. The first signs of dawn could be seen through the porthole. Traces of pink and yellow splashed against the undersides of the clouds.

"This is where you tell me how amazing I am."

Dimtri elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't push your luck."

"I like to live on the edge," Sinbad chuckled and then rolled onto his back to stretch.

"Well, you are a pirate." Dimitri ran a hand through his hair, trying to tame it. "And let me guess, we'll only get three hours of sleep after which you'll wake me up with a shoe to the head and make me get to work right away?"

"Don't be stupid. We're getting up right now! The entire day is waiting. Look – it's practically light out." Clearly that was enough afterglow for Sinbad, because he sprang up to his feet and strolled across the cabin, unashamedly naked.

Dimitri gaped from Sinbad to the window. It was barely light out, in his opinion. "Where do you get all this energy?" he asked in exasperation.

"I am powered by sex!" He flexed, and even though it was jokingly it still managed to be impressive.

Dimitri stared at him with a raised brow before getting off the bed and grabbing the rag by his water bowl. "Maybe I should stop powering you up so much then, because it seems to have the opposite effect on me." He pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off his impending sleepiness and wiped himself down.

"Wake up and smell the deck that needs to be swabbed, cabin boy." He slapped Dimitri on the ass as he walked over their pile of clothes and pushed aside Dimitri's in order to find his hat. Something small and heavy landed on the floor and rolled away under the desk. Dimitri let out a noise of protest and glared at Sinbad before grabbing his pants off of the floor and slipping them on.

"What was that?" Ever inquisitive, Sinbad dropped his sash over the back of his chair and started to dig around under the desk to see what had gotten under there.

"That was me objecting to your physical abuse," he replied wryly. His back was turned to Sinbad as he fumbled with his belt.

"No, I meant what was – " The sentence broke off.

"Hm?" Dimitri turned around.

The room was empty – Sinbad was gone. Under the desk, the little statue gleamed in the morning light.


	40. Chapter 40

"Sinbad?" Dimitri stepped forward, looking around the cabin. The door was still closed and he hadn't heard it creak. Could he be hiding somewhere so silently?

The glint from under the desk caught his eye. He bent down to pick it up, his heart leaping into his throat when he realized it was that accursed statue.

"Sinbad?" he tried again, looking around. "If you're trying to be sneaky, congratulations. Now come out." He looked back down at the statue, running his fingers along the gold part. Who would make something out of so many different materials?

He jumped when there was a crashing noise from behind him. Sinbad was sprawled on his stomach on the floor, his hair wild and his eyes dazed.

He spun around and raised an eyebrow. "Where were you hiding?"

Sinbad blinked a couple of times quickly. "I have no idea."

"What do you mean?" Dimitri knelt down, the statue still in his hands. "This is your cabin, you should know it better than I do."

"I wasn't trying to hide!" Sinbad pushed himself back to his feet and rubbed his eyes. "I was going to get dressed," he jabbed his finger at the wardrobe, "and then somebody must have hit me because everything went black." He gave Dimitri a suspicious look.

"... What?" He pointed the statue at Sinbad, waving it about. "You don't honestly think I did anything, did you? I was looking for you!"

"You're the one holding the blunt object, not me," Sinbad pointed out as he grabbed out a pair of loose pants. He checked around the inside edges of the wardrobe, as if to see if his assailant was hiding inside.

"Yeah, that was my plan all along," Dimitri replied scathingly. He picked his clothes off the floor and slid them on before picking the statue back up. He was debating whether he should rid himself of the damn thing.

Sinbad shrugged as he pulled on his pants and wrapped a green sash around the top to hold them up. "Hey, anything's possible. Don't think this is the first time I've had a lover try to off me."

"Gee, I can't imagine why. You're just so charming." Dimitri tossed the statue in a twirl once and caught it easily. "Let me guess: 'Get out, cabin boy, it's time to work' ?"

"You must have read my mind. Are you sure you aren't a witch?"

He shuddered. "The more I get involved with the supernatural, the less I want to do with it." He left the cabin without bothering to close the door.

Sinbad snorted and kicked it shut behind the ungrateful cabin boy. Clearly manual labor hadn't taught him to curb his tongue at all. Although come to think of it, maybe he could come up with better uses for that tongue...he grinned as he walked back in to finish getting dressed, the disturbing blackout pushed to the back of his mind.

With his mop and bucket in hand, Dimitri strode past the twins and kept his face impassive even as he heard one of them whisper, "Whoa, how often are they doing it?"

He made sure to start mopping in a deserted part of the ship.

About an hour later Sinbad strolled out of his cabin and headed up the stairs to the upper part of the ship. He had a couple of maps rolled up under his arms and was whistling cheerfully, not seeming to notice the dirty looks the crew was sending at his back. As the only one who was getting laid, there was a fair amount of envy towards the captain.

At that point, Dimitri was mopping right behind him, though he didn't say a word. Sinbad didn't pay him any mind. In fact, it was almost as though Dimitri wasn't there at all for all of the notice he got from the captain. Sinbad unrolled a map on the table, pinned it in place with some throwing blades and then proceeded to block everybody out. Kale was at the helm of the ship, steering it through the calm ocean. To sate his curiosity, Dimitri instead turned to Kale for answers. He propped his mop against the railing and strode over to the helm.

"How long before we reach Cairo?" he asked.

"Mm, hopefully by tomorrow morning if the weather holds."

Dimitri smiled; he might be getting more used to living on a ship, but nothing beat solid, unmoving ground.

"You look happy about that," Kale chuckled.

"Of course I am! Don't you get tired of—" He stopped and let out a short chuckle. "Wait, you're pirates. Of course, you're not tired of rocking waves."

"Dimitri," Kale said. He sounded half scolding and half entertained.

"What?"

"You know that this life isn't for everybody. You did choose to come with us though."

"I know! I know!" He held his hands up briefly and dropped them at his sides. "I'm not saying I've changed my mind, I just… I've never really been on water very often. I mean… yes, I've sailed but where I come from, the ships are so large you barely feel the waves."

"That would be a wonder I don't think I'll ever see in my life time. How can you get a feel for a ship if you can't even understand what the water is doing under her?"

"You don't." Dimitri leaned against the railing, looking out at the horizon. "I was just a passenger on a commercial ship. My only worry was to get to my destination."

"That's no way to travel." Kale grinned and took the boat over a swell, making it bounce and sway.

"You'd be surprised at how—Whoah!" Dimitri grabbed onto the railing before he could lose his footing. "At how fast one can travel where I come from."

"And we're going as fast as we can for this ship Get back to work, cabin boy." Sinbad looked up at them from across the table. "And Kale, quit talking to the help."

"Oh, you're actually paying attention now, captain?" Dimitri grabbed the mop that had fallen to the floor after the little wave ride.

"I always pay attention," replied Sinbad loftily. "To things that are important." Kale shook his head and turned back to the ship's wheel, but he was smiling.

Dimitri raised an eyebrow at him but didn't press further. He went back to his work and tried to ignore his grumbling stomach.


	41. Chapter 41

The air about the ship was a good one and got better the closer they got to Cairo. Cyprus had been left behind and apparently the crew was content to forget about it. Kale entertained the crew with a story about a turtle with an island on its back that he had encountered while serving as a merchant ship guard. The ship had gone down with the turtle and he had ridden on its island-sized shell until he had caught sight of true land and swam to shore. Whether it was true or not was anybody's best guess – half of what was said on board the Chimera defied all probability.

The air was warm and muggy and other ships began to appear in the water around them, heading into the river port. All would convene at the mouth of the Nile and then jockey for position as the sailed into the expansive city.

"Merchant sails!" Called Sinbad from where he stood at the ship's helm. He cut a dashing figure against the late afternoon light, with his hat askew and a rakish grin on his face as he watched the Egyptian shores draw ever closer.

"Come on lads, you heard the Captain." Kale slapped his leg and half of the crew disappeared below decks while the rest began to lower the distinctive crimson sails.

Dimitri watched as the Chimera was quickly disguised to look like any other merchant ship. How anyone could take one look at their crew and be devoid of any suspicion was beyond him, but perhaps he had been around them too long to be fooled.

As they made their leisurely way down the Nile, he kept his eyes peeled for his first glimpse of Cairo.

The Chimera was soon in the thick of things, being passed by quick fishing boats and edging around fat-bellied transport ships. Sailors shouted good-natured insults at each other in rapid Arabic. Locals paddled along the shore of the Nile in reed rafts, and everybody kept a wary eye on the water and its unseen inhabitants. Even Sinbad.

"Aaah, Cairo." Sighed Kale as he finished tying down a corner of the cream-colored sails. "It's been a while."

"I've never been," Dimitri admitted, watching as more and more houses passed by them farther from the banks, "Furthest I ever went before I came here was Greece."

He peered over the railing, frowning at a large slithering figure bumping against the ship's hull. Its long, green snout surfaced and he leaned back, ill at ease.

"Worried about the coccodrillo?" Rat suddenly dropped down in front of him, suspended upside down by a rope wrapped around one of his legs.

"Is that what they're called?" Dimitri cast a suspicious eye at the slithering reptile in the water. "Nah, they look perfectly friendly." He smirked at Rat. "I'm sure we'll get along splendidly."

Rat gave him a disbelieving look. "You will get along when you fall in the water and they eat you up like a little maiale and then pick their teeth with your bones and then – "

"Rat!"

"Sorry Captain!" The ropes man swung back up into the rigging, muttering to himself darkly in Italian.

Kale just rolled his eyes and leaned on the railings to watch the other ships. "Don't pay him any mind. You'll be fine. As long as you don't go in the water, at least." Underneath them, the crocodile dove under the muddy surface of the Nile and vanished.

"Believe me, I'll try not to." Dimitri turned his back from the water and focused on the distance. Cairo's crowded docks were coming into view.

"Solid ground is almost here," he whispered to himself, unable to hide his excitement.

"After what happened last time you were on land, I'm surprised you'd be so eager." Kale clapped him on the shoulder and then turned away, shouting at Jin and Li to stop throwing eggs at the other ships.

"Cabin boy, front and center!" Came the distinctive bark of the captain.

He reluctantly turned away from the view and took his sweet time walking towards Sinbad. He stopped in front of him with hands in his pockets and said with exaggerated politeness, "You rang?"

"I don't have a job lined up in Cairo, so the crew and I will be keeping our ears to the ground." Sinbad didn't even bother to look at him as he spoke, carefully maneuvering the ship through the crowded river. The banks were growing more crowded with houses, and the spiraling towers of mosques could be seen in the afternoon haze. "I don't want you wandering off, since nobody will come looking for you. It's not my job or my crew's job to play babysitter. We clear?"

Dimitri scowled. "Crystal," he said darkly. He secretly wondered sometimes whether he shouldn't have just let Sinbad be eaten on Cyprus.

"Good. And furthermore –" Sinbad suddenly looked surprised and, with a small popping noise, vanished from the spot.

Dimitri started and gaped at the spot Sinbad had been standing in mere seconds earlier.

"What the—?" he cautiously stepped forward, looking this way and that. The man had just disappeared into thin air; but that was impossible. "Sinbad?" he said, casting his eyes around the ship, "Sinbad!" His mouth went dry. Something otherworldly had just happened again, hadn't it?

Jin and Li had taken to pelting each other with eggs now and raced onto the quarter deck, dripping with clear ichor and yolk. Li ducked behind Dimitri to avoid another projectile from his twin. "Hey Dimitri, where'd Sinbad go – you dirty bastard!" He broke off as the egg caught him right in the forehead. They were off again in no time flat, leaving Dimitri standing there as dumbstruck as he'd been before.

"He just disappeared," he muttered feverishly to himself, "That's not possible, people don't just disappear…"

Dimitri turned tail and ran to the captain's quarters, nearly breaking down the door with the force of his kick.

"Sinbad?" he called out, looking around the room. With no reply, Dimitri began pulling open drawers, looking under the bed, even checking the large chest where he kept all of his jewels. His panic was rising with every empty hiding spot he found. The crew was still oblivious, he had time…

"I'll just walk up to them and say, 'Hey, Sinbad vanished before my very eyes!' That'll go down well!" he raged at the empty room.

With his search effort fruitless, Dimitri tried bending over the captain's desk to look behind it, and a sharp pain flared in his chest. He quickly stood up straight again with a gasp, fumbling into his vest pocket for the source of his discomfort. He pulled out the little golden statue and sighed.

"Great," he muttered. He quickly swiped some imaginary dust off the statue, a habit he had picked up whenever he was in possession of something priceless.

The statue gleamed brilliantly for a moment and then the sound of something heavy falling onto the floor. Sinbad landed on his desk and rolled off, knocking a skull and several rolled parchments onto the floor with him. He was swearing violently in Arabic.

Dimitri stumbled backwards in shock and dropped the statue onto the floor. He looked around wildly before settling his eyes on Sinbad, even rubbing them briefly to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Bellowed Sinbad loud enough that somebody back in Cyrpus probably would have heard it.

"You were outside," Dimitri said hurriedly, looking away from Sinbad, "And then the statue… and…" he picked up the little golden figure and turned it around in his hands, mind racing to find an explanation. "But why would the statue…" He racked his brains, going back to his encounter with the genie. His eyes went comically wide. "Oh… Oh no."

"Oh no what?" Snarled the irate pirate as he picked himself off of the floor. He looked absolutely furious, as if he would happily throttle the next person he came across just for the sake of it.

Dimitri thought back on his last talk with the genie.

"He sounds like a forceful personality. Too bad he's not the one granting your wishes, eh?"

Dimitri snorted. "Yeah, I wish. Then he'd be forced to listen to me once in a while."

Balashi's eyes lit up with a manic sort of glee. "Done."

Dimitri's heart sank. He hadn't really thought about that little event until now, too wrapped up in getting everyone out of danger.

"Okay," he said, steeling himself and turning to Sinbad, "I may have accidentally wished you into a genie. I think. I'm not too sure, but that's probably what happened." He gripped the statue tight, waiting for the impending explosion.

The captain's room was silent for a long moment while Sinbad stared at him. And then….

"YOU WHAT?"

Dimitri threw his hands in front of his face as if hoping to stave off the worst of Sinbad's wrath. He squinted uneasily at him, and wished he could just melt into the floor. "Look, I was panicking, everyone was about to be eaten, that genie caught me at a bad time… Hey, at least you're alive, right?"

"It was a bad time and you wished me into a statue! How does that even work? You're a bigger idiot than I thought." Sinbad's hands balled into fists as he turned and stalked back towards the door to the deck.

"Hey! Wait, stop!" Dimitri ran out after him. "Look, it's not that bad! Well, alright, it is pretty bad… But there's gotta be a way to fix it!" he added hurriedly when Sinbad gave him a murderous glare. "Doesn't Egypt have this long history of supernatural practices? There must be somebody in the city who can help!"

"How about you shut up let me drive my damn ship before we crash into the shores of the Nile," snapped Sinbad and jogged u the stairs to catch the wheel in time to narrowly avoid a collision with a fishing skiff. The owner shouted up at them and Sinbad replied with a torrent of Arabic that made the man instantly shut up and paddle away as fast as he could.

Dimitri stopped following him at once and bit the inside of his cheek. He felt absolutely horrid, and for once he felt that Sinbad's anger was completely justified. He had not been thinking about what he was saying at the time, and looking back on it now, he realized just how easily he had been tricked.

"God, what do I do?" He rubbed at his forehead with the heel of his palm, wandering away from the irate captain. One thing was for sure now; he couldn't lose sight of that damn statuette.


	42. Chapter 42

Cairo was just as hot and crowded as Constantinople, Dimitri decided. They had just dropped their anchor at port and he was, of course, the first one off the ship. The rest of the crew followed immediately after. Dimitri tapped the solid, unmoving ground and smiled in relief. It was a short-lived moment however, as his thoughts ran back to the little statuette clinking in his inner vest pocket. Sinbad was currently out of his prison, and possibly fuming either on the ship still or behind him with the rest of the crew, he wasn't sure. He had been careful to let him out in secret so that the crew didn't realize their captain's predicament. It was hard enough having Sinbad's anger directed at him, he didn't need everyone else to be pissed as well.

Sinbad stalked down the gangplank and stepped over a crate. He had traded his colorful sash for a golden one and had left his hat behind. He looked like a wealthy (but slightly sinister) merchant. "Kale, I want you to take Rat and go check the markets. Tell the twins to take the others and head for the eateries. Fill your bellies and keep your ears open. There's always something going on in Cairo and I want to know about it yesterday."

It would be so easy to get lost in there, Dimitri mused. The place was packed with merchants, sailors, noblemen, beggars and everyone in between. Of course, he would probably stick out like a sore thumb in here anyway. Hearing Sinbad speak behind him, he shuffled over to where Jin and Li were standing, if only so he could stay further away. Sinbad probably didn't want him near unless it was to get him out of the statuette, and he figured if he went off with the others into town, there was perhaps a slim chance he could find a lead on magic curse breakers or something of the like. It was a slimmer than slim chance, really, but he was desperate to find a solution. There was only so much of Sinbad's scorn he could handle.

"And remember gentlemen, we are wanted men in Cairo. Please try not to blow anything up or draw too much attention to yourselves...Jin, remember the goat thing? Don't do it again." Jin hung his head as if he was ashamed but instantly started an elbowing match with Li. "Cabin boy. With me." The captain turned on his heel and walked off as if he didn't care whether Dimitri was following or not. "Meet back here in six hours!"

Dimitri's heart sank. Was Sinbad going to torment him away from the eyes of the crew? He steeled himself for the inevitable; he supposed it was his fault really, but how else was he supposed to have reacted in such an unusual crisis?

"See you guys," he muttered to the bickering twins before falling in step behind Sinbad. They zig-zagged through the throng of people, heading deeper into the city. Dimitri kept his eyes trained on his surroundings, even as he watched many pairs of eyes linger on him for a good long while. The homes were all flat-topped and sandy-colored, stretching along the banks of the Nile as far as the eye could see. He nearly stepped on camel droppings a few times but had vowed not to let any of the dirty animals spit on him again. His pant leg was still ripped from the blasted dog that had mistaken him for a large piece of ham back in Constantinople.

"So, where are we going?" he finally mustered the courage to ask to the back of Sinbad's head. Perhaps he should have just kept quiet, but Dimitri never seemed to make the right choices where Sinbad was concerned.

"To find a job for my crew. But first we're going to get some clothes that don't make you stand out like a camel in dress." Sinbad paused at an intersection and looked both ways as if he couldn't quite remember which way he needed to go.

"Wait, you're going to dress me up like you?" Dimitri looked at his vest and shirt; they were starting to get a little more than worse for wear, he had to admit. But imagining himself dressed like Sinbad… that just made an odd picture in his head.

"Don't be stupid, you could never look as good as I do." He took the right fork and fell into step next to a camel caravan that was pulling a cart full of live chickens. "But it's getting to the point where it shames me to be seen around you."

"Right." Dimitri swatted at one of the chickens that was trying to peck at his watch, "And since you are such a paragon of fashion, what exactly will you be making me wear?"

"Real clothes, not those scraps. I'm surprised they haven't fallen right off of you yet." They turned another corner and left the chickens behind.

"I'm actually—" Dimitri swerved to avoid collision with a robust man carrying large jugs that smelled musty, "—Surprised too," he finished.

"So we'll get you some new ones and then see what we can find in Cairo. Nobody will talk to us with you looking like that and I doubt you'd stay on the boat, even if I told you to." He stopped in front of a little shop. "Here we are."

It was an unremarkable little hut similar to the ones all around them. Dimitri glanced quickly at Sinbad before walking inside first. The room he stepped into was covered with rows upon rows of fabric and beads strewn about the place. He ran his fingers over a red drape with yellow geometric patterns decorating its edges. Everything was so…

"Bright," he said softly. He was never one for bright colors; he thought he looked rather silly in them.

"Yes, we'll be putting you in yellow. You'll look like a walking plague. Eshe! It's Sinbad!" He called into the back, since there wasn't anybody in the front. There was the sound of something heavy being put down and instantly a petite Egyptian woman appeared in the doorway. "Sinbad!" She flung herself at him and he spun her around, both of them laughing.

Dimitri glared at the twirling pair, hoping that Sinbad had been joking. "I am NOT—" he said, trying to tiptoe around them, "I am not wearing yellow."

"Sinbad, look at you! You've gotten so handsome, why have you not come back to see me?" She poked his flat belly hard with what looked like a spool of thread. "You're getting fat." Sinbad gaped at her in disbelief, but she ignored him and turned her sights on Dimitri instead. "We would never dress you in yellow, don't worry. You'd look like a walking plague." She and Sinbad started to laugh at the same time.

Feeling another flare of annoyance, Dimitri clasped his fists behind his back. "Hilarious, hilarious," he said with a thin smile, "So, what will I be wearing then? Oh, my name's Dimitri by the way."

"You can go nak - " Sinbad was cut off when Eshe drove an elbow into his stomach.

"My name is Eshe. I'm this idiot's half-sister."

Dimitri blinked. "Oh," he said. Then he put a hand on her shoulder. "I am so, so sorry."

"I say the same thing to myself every morning in the mirror, don't worry." She patted his hand with a cheerful smile. Then she glanced between the two of them. "So, are you two..."

Dimitri tilted his head. "Are we what?"

Eshe made a couple of rather rude hand motions and Sinbad slapped her hands down. "Yes, we are. Don't ever do that again while I'm in the room."

"Oh God." Dimitri pinched the bridge of his nose. "Who'd have thought a Sinbad family reunion would be this awkward? Alright, can we just get me some new clothes, please?"

The woman turned back to Sinbad and propped her hands on her hips. From the side they both had the same strong jaw line and sharp nose. "You want him dressed? How soon?"

"As soon as you can."

"I'm not a miracle worker, Sinbad."

"No, but you are the best in all of Cairo and you love me."

Dimitri let out a snort badly disguised as a cough.

"You're still in trouble, so keep your mouth shut." Sinbad sent a glare over his half-sister's head, showing that he was still sore about what had happened on the ship.

"So," Dimitri slid in between the both of them, getting into his habitual negotiating mode, "What do you think would suit me best? A tunic? A robe? Don't make it yellow though, that's all I ask."

"He needs the usual kit, Eshe. And make it all yellow," Sinbad interrupted and put his hand on Dimitri face to push him backwards. He toppled over and landed on a stack of rolled linens. "He deserves it after all of the shit he's put me through."

"I'm going to pray you don't mean that literally, brother mine." She smiled and looked over at Dimitri, who was trying to extricate himself from the bolts of fabric. "Come on, let's get your measurements."

Dimitri grumbled as he pulled a roll of purple silk off his head and shot Sinbad a filthy look before following Eshe into another room. Maybe he should just throw that statuette into the ocean after all.

There were a couple of little fitting rooms with curtains hanging in front to preserve customer's modesty. She ushered Dimitri into one and didn't bother to pull the curtain. Sinbad leaned in the entry and crossed his arms, watching with an expression that combined amusement and annoyance.

"Take off your clothes." Eshe took a long string with knots tied into it off of the wall and looked at him expectantly.

Dimitri faltered for a few seconds. "Uh… right." He quickly pulled off his vest and shirt, took off his shoes, unbuckled his pants and slid them off. He was wearing the underwear Sinbad so despised and was thankful for it, and kept those on.

Sinbad rolled his eyes as Eshe got to work, wrapping the rope around his middle, his legs, even going so far as to measure between his nipples. She wrote all of the measurements down on a sheet of thin paper.

"So Sinbad, kidnap any princesses lately?"

"No Eshe, just a useless tourist."

"I'm standing right here!" Dimitri said in a mock pleasant voice, trying not to move too much.

Sinbad shrugged. "I don't remember naming any names…"

Eshe patted his leg as she measured his calf. "Don't worry, if you were completely useless he would have tossed you overboard. At least you must be good in bed if he's getting you new clothes."

"Gee, thanks," Dimitri said, grateful that he never blushed. He didn't know whether to be flattered or mortified, so he settled on an awkward mix of both.

"I'm going to go find some things for him so that he doesn't have to wear those rags until I finish. Behave." She drilled her finger into Sinbad's belly and left him with the knotted cord around his neck.

"I always behave!" He shouted after her. His only reply was a shout of laughter.

So now he was standing in a room with Sinbad in nothing but his underwear. Fabulous, Dimitri thought. Sure, Sinbad had seen him wearing absolutely nothing but given their situation right now, he wasn't sure he welcomed his near nudity.

"Sinbad," he began, but wasn't sure what he wanted to say. 'I'm sorry?' That wouldn't cut it. 'I'm going to fix this?' That's what he was determined to do, but Sinbad certainly didn't think him capable of fixing anything. He let out a frustrated sigh and raked his fingers through his hair.

Sinbad held up a hand, cutting him off. "Don't. I don't want to think about it right now, because if I do, I'll just get mad again."

Dimitri fell silent and looked away. There was nothing else he could say or do at this point. The powerlessness he had felt ever since he had landed on the Chimera simply intensified. He suddenly wished he could just take a long nap.

The tension was so thick that you could have cut it with a scimitar. Sinbad chewed on the inside of his cheek and started to reach for Dimitri. Eshe came walking back in at that moment though and slapped his hand down. She was carrying a pile of neutral-colored garments and a pair of soft leather boots.

Dimitri quickly cleared his throat and focused on the clothes. "Oh, those are very nice!" he said in his most flattering tone, "Absolutely. Bless you for not bringing out bright colours."

"Unlike my brother, I am not without mercy. I would wear the tan pants and the dark shirt for now. Let me get you a sash, and you need to check the size on those boots." She walked out again.

Dimitri had no desire to stay in his underwear, so he quickly pulled up the pants and shirt, tugging at it from different ends so that it would fit right.

"Not bad, I think," he muttered, "Wish there was a mirror nearby so I could see myself."

"You look good," said Sinbad quietly.

He swallowed and patted down his new pants. "Thanks," he replied, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the ground.

Sinbad cleared his throat. "Do the boots fit?"

He pulled them on and walked in a small circle, even shaking his feet to see if they would slide off. "They seem to." He finally looked at Sinbad and gave him a small smile. "Your sister's good."

"Yeah, she's got a good eye for these kinds of things. Her husband works down at the docks; we'll probably run into him later. I haven't been around here in a while, so he might be somewhere else now." He was aware that he was rambling, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

"And where will we be going after we're finished here?" Dimitri interrupted.

"Right. Um. Food! We'll go get some food – hey Eshe, where's a good place to eat and listen around here?" His sister came in and tossed Dimitri a red sash for his waist.

"There's a good place just around the corner, actually. They tore down the brick warehouse and put up a restaurant. Mostly outdoors. Nice place."

Dimitri tied the sash the way he had seen Sinbad do it in the morning while the siblings chatted. It fit snugly around his waist and he strode around the room, feeling rather light on his feet.

"Thank you so much for this," he said, taking Eshe's hand. "Unfortunately, the rest of my clothes are… back home so I literally had nothing but the clothes on my back." He went over to his discarded pile of clothes and fished out the small statuette which he stored in his pants pocket.

Sinbad's eyes instantly snapped to the statue, and any good humor he'd had instantly fled. "We'll be back to pick up the rest this evening, Eshe. Thanks."

"No problem, you tip well. Hey," she caught Sinbad's sleeve as he was turning to go. "Come by for dinner before you leave. I know the kids would love to see you."

"Maybe."

Dimitri was shuffling from foot to foot at the entrance, waiting for them. As lovely as his new clothes were, he felt like he needed to wander around Cairo. It made him feel like he would be getting closer to helping Sinbad, as silly as it sounded.

Sinbad and Eshe walked up to the door and Sinbad instantly started out as if he had something nipping at his heels. Eshe looked up at Dimitri.

"Look after him," she said quietly.

His throat tightened at her words. He had been trying to look after him and now they had this entire genie mess on their hands.

"I will," he said hoarsely before following Sinbad out the door.


	43. Chapter 43

The sun was directly overhead when the two men were seated at a long wooden table at the eatery. There weren't menus, nor was there anybody to take their orders. Instead, there were heaping bowls of rice, chick peas, garlicky stews, lamb kebabs, and spicy sauces to dip flat pita bread into. Huge platters of pasta with tomatoes and other vegetables made their way up and down both sides of the table, where greedy spoon scooped them onto trays and plates. The tables were packed with workmen and merchants alike, and everybody bunched in closely to make room for more.

Sinbad sat across from Dimitri and chewed on a slice of cooked onion on a kebab. He hadn't exchanged more than a dozen words with his partner since they had left his sister's shop, and now it was clear that he intended to fill the silence by keeping his mouth full.

Dimitri for his part didn't try to speak either, figuring that he would let Sinbad start up a conversation if he wanted to. Instead, he immersed himself in the food; a lot of it was much too spicy for him, but despite his watering eyes and running nose, he enjoyed it immensely. And now that he was dressed a little more locally, he didn't have to endure as many stares as before.

"Too much for you?" Sinbad finally asked around a mouthful of jasmine rice.

Dimitri took three large gulps of water and slammed his goblet down as he inhaled deeply, trying to stave off the stinging.

"Me? No, I'm handling this just… fine!" He gasped.

"If you're sure," he replied dubiously. "I'm sure there are some pickles and eggs back on the ship if you change your mind." He started to laugh but then coughed as he swallowed his vegetables the wrong way.

Dimitri chuckled and pushed his goblet towards him. "Don't worry, I'll get used to it. It's just stronger than what I'm used to."

"If this is strong, I would hate to eat what you're used to." He drained the goblet and then scowled when he found out it was water and not wine. "Remind me to take you to India some time. Then you'll find out what strong really is."

"India, eh?" Dimitri swirled his last bit of pita in the sauce currently swimming about his plate. It was a nice feeling, having Sinbad plan to take him to all of these places he never thought he would see. The money he and Vlad had managed to amass to get to Paris had taken a few years of conning, and even then it had been risky trying to travel without getting caught. And yes, it was nice to see that Sinbad didn't completely resent him for the statuette problem… which he still had to find a way to resolve.

Dimitri's fingers gently brushed against the little gold figure in his pocket. The guilt would most likely never fully leave him until he reversed the genie's spell. Suddenly, he didn't feel hungry anymore.

"Well, I'm done," he said, pushing his plate and clearing his throat.

"Well I'm not, so you can sit there and be quiet while I finish." Sinbad reached behind a dockworker and accepted a plate of fresh fruits drizzled with honey. It looked like some sort of dessert and Sinbad was more than happy to give himself a very generous portion of the stuff. "Fresh fruits don't keep well on boats," he said conversationally. It was as if he was speaking to a student rather than his lover. There was no sort of affection in his voice – only facts. "We stock up when we can, but they don't usually last more than a couple of days."

He stretched out his boots while he popped a slice of pear into his mouth and they brushed against Dimitri's new shoes.

Dimitri's legs twitched at the contact, but he made an effort not to pull his feet away. They hadn't really been in such close contact since Sinbad's first disappearance into the statuette. He was pretty sure any attempt at said contact would be unwelcome given the circumstances, but surely he didn't need to flinch as if Sinbad would attack him at any moment. Dimitri was busy cursing himself in his head over how to react properly and didn't really register Sinbad's talking.

Or at least he didn't until Sinbad leaned across the table and shoved a piece of fruit into his mouth.

"Mmf!" He reeled back, sucking in the honey covered fig into his mouth and having to take a moment to chew it properly. Once he had swallowed it all, he glared at Sinbad and said, "Warn me next time, would you?"

Sinbad shrugged. "Now where would be the fun in that? Come on. We have stuff to do. People to eavesdrop on. Ill deeds to do…." He pushed back from the table and dropped a gold coin in front of the host before walking out. Yet again Dimitri was left behind to scramble after him.

They walked back outside onto the busy Cairo streets. The sun was right above their heads now, beating down on Dimitri's head and making him wish that he had a hat of some sort. It was easy enough keeping track of Sinbad in the crowd; he just had to follow the man with the most arrogant strut in the universe.

As they passed by a merchant square, a man selling kebabs accosted him.

"The finest lamb kebabs in all of Cairo, right here!" he declared, showing off his admittedly delicious-looking skewers.

"I, ah… Just ate, but thanks!" he said.

"Are you sure, sir? You can—Hey! HEY! GET OUT OF THERE!" Dimitri turned to see the merchant waving a fist at a whimpering puppy.

"Shoo! Shoo, you filthy mutt!" The merchant swung his leg back as if to kick it, but the puppy ran away and hid behind a bewildered Dimitri's legs.

"He always tries to come and steal my food," the merchant said, eyeing Dimitri suspiciously, "Is he yours?"

"What? No!" Dimitri looked down at the quivering pup, which looked back up at him and gave a small yip. "Alright mutt, time for you to go!"

But the puppy jumped about and rubbed its head against his leg. Dimitri sighed and tried to give it his best stern glance. "Look, I'm not good with dogs, alright?"

The puppy gazed at it—him, according to the merchant—with his big eyes and dammit, if he could resist Anya's mutt and his adorable expression, he would resist this one as well.

"If you want to follow me, fine. But this is a tough crowd to navigate."

He started to walk again, trying to find Sinbad in the crowd. Great, now he was lost. Squeezing himself between a gaggle of Greek sailors, Dimitri scanned this way and that for him. Another yap at his heels indicated that the puppy was still with him, miraculously. Dimitri watched as he bounced around his feet, torn between amusement and exasperation. Suddenly, he took off and in a reactionary fit of concern over someone trampling the poor thing, Dimitri followed, bumping into people as he went. After almost knocking over a woman carrying a basket of fish and disappearing into the crowd with a quick apology, he saw the puppy heading straight for the feet of the captain he was looking for. Dimitri slowed his pace, stopping just behind Sinbad and looking at the small pup in wonder. "You're good," he said, putting his hands on his hips. The puppy barked happily in response.

Sinbad frowned at the pair of them. "And here I thought the slavers might have taken you off my hands. Who's this?" He picked up the dirty puppy by the scruff of its neck and held it up so he could get a look at it. The puppy yapped and drooled all over itself, its tail wagging frantically.

"My stray is picking up strays." He tossed the pup back to Dimitri, who caught it and instantly got a face full of slobber for his efforts. His new shirt was covered in dust and paw prints and by the time he managed to put the puppy back on the ground he looked as though he'd been rolling in a dust spinner.

"If you wanted a pet, I would have gotten you a clam. Now put it back where you found it."

"You don't like him?" Dimitri looked down at the puppy who was now rolling around in delight. Sinbad's immediate disregard made him decide that he liked this new puppy. "I think dogs have grown on me in the last little while."

"A ship is no place for a dog," Sinbad snapped.

"I think I'll name him Spike!" Dimitri answered with an annoyingly bright smile directed at Sinbad.

Sinbad glared at him. "You won't be naming him anything, because you are going to put the fur ball right back where you found him!" He pointedly angrily back the way they had come.

"Hey Spike, do you want to go back to the streets or do you want to come with us?" Dimitri looked down at the little thing. He'd have to learn to live with the slobber, but something about the little guy just tugged at him, more than Pooka ever did anyway.

The newly christened Spike jumped up and scrabbled at Dimitri's leg before running over to Sinbad and doing the same thing.

"Too late, he thinks we're his parents now."

"He thinks we're his new meal ticket." Sinbad shook his leg to get the dog off and it instantly started to roll around in the dirt, getting itself even filthier. It was impossible to tell what color it was under all of the dust – there was only the impression of a slightly flat face and massive paws that promised that the pup was going to grow up into a monster.

"I bet the crew would like him," Dimitri said.

"Since when have I cared what my crew liked? Put him back."

"He doesn't want to go back." Dimitri shrugged. "C'mon, if I can get over my dislike of dogs, I'm sure you can too. I'll even go bathe him before we get back on the ship."

"I don't dislike dogs, there just isn't room for one on my damn ship – and why am I even arguing with you about this? I'm the captain, not you." He turned around and started to weave his way through the crowd again. Spike looked up at Dimitri expectantly.

He really should not be pushing Sinbad's buttons, especially given their current circumstances, but the pup had somehow endeared itself to him in a matter of minutes.

"He found you in a crowd of people, which is pretty impressive," he said matter-of-factly, "Who knows, you could train him to be useful."

"I can train it to drown you in spit while you sleep and put you out of my misery."

Dimitri smirked. "Yes. You can." He picked Spike up and pushed his head back to avoid the worst of the licking. "So? What do you say?"

"I say that the crew is going to make that thing into stew meat and you'll have no one to blame but yourself." They were almost back to Eshe's shop, even though she had told them that she wouldn't be done until that evening.

Dimitri finally had to let Spike down so that he could wipe the drool off. Spike set about running around the street, terrifying an old woman after zooming between her legs and coming back around to yip at them.

"I might toss the thing in the pot myself," Sinbad muttered. His mood clearly hadn't improved with the food. He ducked into the tailor store, but paused and looked at Dimitri. "The dog stays outside. If it gets paw prints on her silks she'll take it out of my hide."

"Fair enough." Dimitri turned around and quickly closed the door before Spike could follow them. He could hear the pitiful whining begin and quickly followed after Sinbad, hoping they wouldn't stay for too long.

The dog could guilt-trip almost as well as Sinbad could…


	44. Chapter 44

Sinbad was sitting on a wooden table in the backroom while Eshe sat on a stool with her ankles crossed under her dress. A needle flashed in her hand, diving in and out of some rust-colored fabric as if it was a little silver fish. Her hands moved so fast that they were hard to follow, but she was still managing to keep up a running conversation with Sinbad in a language that Dimitri didn't understand. A toddler was playing on the floor with a hand-made leather ball.

So Dimitri just crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, not sure what to do at that point except stew over the fact that he had just adopted a street pup. If Anya could see him now, she would be tearing him a new one for being so against Pooka for most of the trip.

Sinbad and Eshe burst into laughter about something at the same time. They both had the same sort of rich, unashamed laugh. The toddler squealed with delight and threw its ball so that it rolled across the floor and hit Dimitri's shoe.

He bent down and gently pushed the ball back towards the child, who took it back with a giggle. "There you go, kid. Trust me; you don't want to lose the things you love most, especially at an early age."

The ball instantly came winging back at him and hit him between the eyes. Sinbad howled with laughter and even Esme stopped her sewing so that she could bury her face in the cloth, her shoulders shaking.

Dimitri stood up and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That's a… strong throw your kid's got there," he said.

"He takes after his uncle." Eshe reached out and scooped up the little boy, setting him on Sinbad's lap.

"She doesn't mean me," clarified Sinbad. "Our father left us enough half siblings to give me an entire crew of relatives if I could get them all into one place."

"Oh," was all Dimitri said. He didn't know how to respond to that, really. He had no idea if he had any siblings himself and he wouldn't even know where to begin looking.

"As I was saying, if you want to hear anything, go to one of the dock eateries. But keep your head down, alright? You know they aren't exactly fond of you here after that incident with the goats." Eshe started sewing again and turned her attention back to Sinbad, who was tickling the baby's sides and making it scream with laughter.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. That wasn't my fault. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"You were chasing them across the rooftops, Sinbad."

"So maybe the roofs were the wrong place."

"Let me guess, you're not welcome in Cairo either?" Dimitri said wryly.

Eshe shook her head. "If the guards catch him, he is slated for public beheading."

"What's a beheading between friends?" Sinbad spread his hands casually and then caught the little boy before he could fall off of his lap.

Dimitri's eyes went wide. "Yeah, that—that's pretty serious!" He glanced out the window as if there were guards waiting outside the house right now. "And you haven't even been spotted yet?"

As someone who had spent most of his life hiding from the authorities, this seemed like a miraculous feat. Then again, perhaps Cairo's medieval guards were easier to evade than Russian authorities.

"Spotted? With my disguise?" He gestured at his lack of hat and golden sash. "Surely you jest."

"If that's all it takes to be inconspicuous, you should count yourself lucky you don't come from my time," Dimitri muttered.

"Your what?" Asked Eshe.

"His land. His said his land. My friend has an unfortunate lisp that chases off all of the ladies. He also spits everywhere any time he eats." Sinbad set the little boy back onto the floor and stood up. "And with that, we must be off." He leaned down and kissed his half-sister's cheek. "I'll try to come back tomorrow."

Eshe rose with him and picked up a stack of clothes from the table. "This is what I've finished. You can take them with you and return for the rest later." She handed them to Dimitri.

"Thank you," he said, turning away from giving Sinbad the stinkeye to smile at Eshe.

"Of course. Now be off with you, both of you! You're crowding up my shop." She shooed them both out of the front door and then shut it firmly behind them.

"Yes, thank you for your graciousness, dearest of sisters. What's that? Stay for dinner? Oh no, we really couldn't. We're far too busy. Have a drink? No, we really need to go, so sorry." Sinbad continued to converse with the shut door and then rolled his eyes.

Spike was overjoyed at being reunited with them and proceeded to jump at Sinbad's ankles.

"She was nice!" Dimitri said, rearranging the bundle of clothes in his arms so he could carry them better. "Which I why I can't believe she's related to you."

"So what if she got my share of the niceness. She can have it! A captain does not need to be nice."

"Or a decent human being," Dimitri said under his breath. They made their back to the docks, navigating their way through yet more crowds of people. Thankfully, Dimitri managed to keep all of his clothes in his arms.

When the Chimera came into view, they could see a few heads moving about on deck. Dimitri looked down to see if Spike had followed them, and the pup was indeed running circles around Sinbad's feet.

"You put those in your bunk," Sinbad ordered as her walked up the gangplank and back onto his ship. Kale and rat were looking over a piece of paper by the main sail and Sinbad walked over to join them. Spike instantly started to chew on Rat's ankle and the ropesman swore in Italian while Kale just shook his head without comment.

When Dimitri emerged from the crew's quarters, arms free of fabric, he found Jin and Li busy playing with the puppy, making him jump up by baiting him with a pickle.

"See? He's practically family already," he said to Sinbad.

"He's a dog. He drools, he gets dirt everywhere, and he'll probably hump the wrong things. Oh wait, you do that too. So now I have two useless crew members. Wonderful!"

The twin's faces both turned scarlet from trying not to laugh.

"Stop complaining, already and let's get some dinner!"

Kale tucked the piece of paper into a pouch on his belt. "I think I can second that motion."

Sinbad rounded on him with a scowl. "You won't be seconding any motions. He's the damn cabin boy, he can't even make motions!"

"I think he makes some pretty nice motions with you, Captain," said rat smoothly, and then he swung away before Sinbad could hit him between the eyes with the handle of his scimitar.

Dimitri was already walking down the gangplank. The sun was beginning to set over Cairo, so its rays were not beating down on him as heavily. "Come on, Captain," he said cheerfully.

"Don't bait him too much," murmured Kale as he walked by.

"I'll try," he replied and hopped back onto the dock. He wondered whether they would have even more food smothered in spices.

The crew of the Chimera wound their way through the evening dock crowds. The fishing boats had come in for the night, their nets loaded with slippery silver fish that would be gutted and sold to the eateries or to the people who crowded the markets. One man was shouting loudly in a foreign language and was showing off the bloody teeth marks in his calf that must have come from one of the crocodiles that patrolled the waters.

Dimitri wrinkled his nose at the sight and turned away. He followed his friends as they navigated easily through the noticeably less crowded streets, though the nightlife here was nothing to scoff at.

"So, where exactly are we going?" he asked.

"Sinbad wants us to find a job to keep us busy while we're here," chimed Jin.

"Yeah, he thinks that we'll get in trouble like we did last time if we aren't 'kept occupied'." Li made quotations with his fingers.

"Not like we need the gold though," added Jin. "Not after that haul in Cyprus." The twins dissolved into talking about where Sinbad would try to fence the loot from the island.

Dimitri cocked his head. Sinbad should count himself lucky that his cabin boy was no stranger to questionable jobs. "Sounds interesting. What did he have in mind?"

"No clue, we have to get the job first. That's why we're supposed to keep our ears open."

"Too bad yours are so full of wax!" Instantly the twins dropped to the ground and started to try to knock the other's teeth out.

Dimitri sidestepped the bickering pair and moved behind Sinbad, letting his mind wander. It wasn't until a loud, boorish voice began jabbering somewhere to his left that he was snapped back to reality. He turned to see a bearded, robust man practically yelling into his companion's ear: "—And wouldn't you know it, my brother's inn is just booming these days! Why, he even has royalty staying there now! If our poor father could see how well off he is nowadays! As we speak, even…" Here, he dropped his voice, but his deep bass was still loud enough for the nearby crew to pick up his next words: "Prince Proteus of Syracuse is staying there on official business! The looks on my brother's in-laws' faces when they found out!"

Sinbad was busy talking to Kale and wasn't paying attention.

"Hey," Dimitri elbowed him. "Who's this Prince Proteus? That name sounds familiar."

"Proteus?" Sinbad froze and looked up at Dimitri with a frown. "How do you know about Proteus?"

"I think you mentioned him once or twice," he replied, "Anyway, that guy over there said he was staying at his brother's inn."

"Proteus in Cairo? Really…" Sinbad pushed by Dimitri and headed in the direction of the man that he had pointed out.

"Things just got interesting," mused Kale. The rest of them hung back and watched as Sinbad charmed the socks off of the inn owner's brother.

Dimitri watched him, brows knitted together. "Why, does he actually know this prince? Wait, don't tell me. He robbed from him, didn't he?" he looked to Kale for confirmation.

"No, I think that Proteus is one of the few people that Sinbad would never consider stealing from." Kale rubbed his chin and watched with a mildly amused look on his face. "If he's in town, I think that I can guess where we'll be heading next."

And so it was that in twenty minutes, the crew found themselves at a large inn. The place was illuminated with torches on every wall, and the crowd was jovial and loud. Dimitri followed the others to a large table, his ears picking up a delightful and exotic melody coming from another part of the place. It was rather big and certainly nicer than he had expected, but not someplace he would think royalty would stay at. Then again, he was used to different kinds of royals.

A massive bowl of stew and a platter of pita were set down at their table almost instantly and the crew sent their drink requests off with their table master.

"So the prince is in Cairo. I wonder what this means for the peace efforts if he's willing to come out here on his own instead of sending their lackeys." Sinbad didn't seem to be interested in the food. He'd propped his head on his fist and was looking up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"It hasn't been officially declared yet, but it seems inevitable at this point judging by the talk in the markets." Kale scooped a bit of meat out of the stew using the pita like a spoon.

"The people of Cairo – they are scared of this war." Rat said quietly. "Syracuse may not be a big country, but their navy…they are strong enough to make this difficult."

Talk of war was not something Dimitri took pleasure in, though he was very much familiar with it. He kept his head low and ate in silence, having no wish to participate in talks of war that technically happened centuries before his existence.

A group of people dressed in bright blue and fancy robes descended from the staircase partially hidden behind the innkeeper's table, not far from their own. The men in the outer ring walked stiffly and alert, while those in the center chatted amongst themselves. Many stopped their conversations to stare at the newcomers.

"Those are the Syracuse dignitaries," Sinbad said quietly. "But I don't see Proteus with them…." He was clearly troubled.

Jed came walking back over to their table. "His room is the third one on the left."

The twins stared at the older man as he sat down between them. "How'd you find that out?" They asked in unison.

"I got me some moves."

"So, are you going to wait for him to come down or are you going to knock at his door?" Dimitri asked. "From my experience, royals don't take well to people barging in on them."

Really though, the Dowager Empress had been very, very stubborn. Dimitri suddenly realized whom Anya must have gotten it from.

"The door? Who the hell uses doors?" The entire crew stared at him.

He blinked, unsure how to respond. Finally, he waved a hand away and focused on his dinner again. "Forget I said anything."


	45. Chapter 45

The window. Of course they were going in the window. Or rather, Sinbad was going in the window. The front door of the prince's quarter was guarded by two of Syracuse's most burly guards. They even made Kale look like all he lifted were matchsticks – their biceps had biceps. So in through the window it was.

"Gentleman, stand back and watch a master at work." Sinbad spit on his hand and rubbed them together, looking at the high wall with relish. The window he was aiming at was on the third floor of the building, and there were no handholds visible on the plaster-covered wall. It was completely dark out by now, and there wasn't even a moon to illuminate the dark building. The only light came from the open window, where voices and the clatter of people eating drifted out.

"Are you serious?" Dimitri said, but the crewmembers just grinned at Sinbad's enthusiasm. "What is wrong with just knocking?"

Kale shrugged. "He likes it better this way."

Dimitri could make out the shadow of someone moving against the wall from the open window, and he could only hope that it was indeed Proteus and not some unsuspecting guest who surely would not take kindly to having a pirate drop into their room.

"Aaand here we go." Sinbad took off at a run, but not at the building. Instead he dashed to the one across the narrow alley and took several steps straight up the wall. Then he performed a smooth backflip and caught hold of the second story window ledge on the inn. He pulled himself into it and turned around so that he faced the alley again. Using his grip on the top of the window, he pulled his legs up and swung outwards. One quick bounce off of the other building and he was perched in the prince's window. The crew all applauded quietly.

"Showoff," Dimitri muttered.

The commotion alerted whoever was in the room and a figure suddenly stuck its head out. From the brightness of the room. Dimitri could make out the head of a man, his long tied hair swinging like a curtain across his left cheek.

"Who the devil—" he began, but stopped when he saw who was perched on his window ledge. All was silent for a moment, until the man said, uncertainly, "Sinbad?"

"Well hey there Proteus. Fancy meeting you here. On this window ledge. In the middle of the night."

"I didn't think I'd see you again so soon!" Proteus exclaimed. He moved aside to let Sinbad slide into the room and had to clasp his oldest friend's shoulders just to make sure it was really him. His expression of surprised delight quickly turned to concern. "Aren't you a wanted man in Cairo? How did you evade the guards?"

Sinbad looked to the left and then to the right in an exaggerated motion as if to make sure nobody was listening in on them. Then he leaned in and whispered, "I'm in disguise." He gestured at his lack of hat and the sash. "See? Pretty good eh?"

Proteus looked unimpressed. "I can see now why Father doesn't think they stand a chance in this war." He sat on the edge of his large bed and looked up at Sinbad. There were the beginnings of dark circles under his eyes. "This is a stressful situation we are in, and neither side seems to want to back down. I told Father I would do what I can, but the diplomats I'm forced to negotiate with are as stubborn as… well, you actually," he finished with a low chuckle. "Now, why is it that you found the need to climb up my window? You do know there's a door you can knock on."

The pirate captain wandered over to a desk and started to flip through the papers on top of it. "Have you seen the thugs you have posted outside? They look like they'd knock my teeth somewhere I don't need them if I even thought about knocking. Besides," He looked back up with a roguish grin. "It looks cooler to come in through the window."

"And you wonder why you're wanted all over the Mediterranean." Proteus stood up and paced around the room. "So, is this a friendly visit or are you distracting me while your crew go about trying to find the gifts we've exchanged with the ambassadors?"

"You brought gifts?" Asked Sinbad cheekily.

"Our gifts have been brought back to Syracuse, and you won't find the ones we've given the ambassadors anywhere in this place," Proteus said, looking sternly at his friend. "Sinbad, we are trying to prevent a war, don't make this anymore difficult for me."

"Is it a crime to want to drop in to see my best friend?" Sinbad sighed dramatically and held out his wrists. "Alright, where are the handcuffs. I'll come quietly."

Proteus pushed his hands down. "What do you want, Sinbad?"

"A million gold pieces? My own island?"

"Really? I thought you could get those things on your own, or so you've been telling me since we were children." He leaned out the window to see if any of the crewmembers were causing mischief.

The entire crew waved up at Proteus and there were a couple of catcalls. He rolled his eyes and turned his back to the window. "Right, did you just come here to chat? I really must get back to the ambassadors."

"Well I wouldn't want to take up the precious time of such clearly important people," Sinbad said sarcastically. He walked back towards the window, looking a bit miffed.

"Why are you in Cairo, Sinbad?" Proteus asked wearily.

Sinbad waved his hand and climbed back onto the windowsill. "Oh no, don't let me keep you up. I'm not an ambassador after all. Not worth the air it takes to talk to me."

"Sinbad, stop it!" Proteus marched towards him.

"Stop what?" Sinbad looked over his shoulder and the prince and scowled.

He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before addressing his friend again in a much calmer manner. "You want me to help you do something, don't you? And I'm not going to like it."

"Did I say that? I don't remember saying that. Hey Rat!" Sinbad shouted out of the window. "Did you hear me ask Mister High and Mighty for help? No? Didn't think so."

"Right, I'll push you off and then be on my way."

Sinbad snorted and swung his legs over the side. "Don't bother, I'll let myself out." He gave the prince a mock salute and dropped out of the window. He nearly landed on Dimitri.

"Geez, watch it!" he said, taking a step back. "So, did you have a nice little reunion up there?"

"Oh yeah, we always get along wonderfully." Sinbad shook out his sleeves, ignoring the fact that Proteus had run over to the window and was looking down at them.

"He means that they never agree on anything," translated Kale.

Dimitri looked up at the prince's face shrouded in shadow and clicked his tongue. "Huh. Maybe that means we'd get along splendidly."

"Don't even think about it," growled Sinbad as he stomped off down the alley. A couple of crew members waved at Proteus before they followed after their irate captain. Dimitri spared the window one last glance before running after everyone else. He could only guess at what had put their captain in a foul mood.

It was a solemn trip back to the Chimera that night. The streets were still crowded with people heading home from dinner or on their way to parties. Loud stringed music could be heard over the roofs of Cairo, seeming to carry for miles in the still air. Sinbad didn't speak again, even when pressed by Kale for the details of his visit with the prince. He seemed to be turning something over in his head and had tuned out all distractions. Dimitri, Rat and the twins formed the rear of the group as they admired the nightlife. They passed by a large building with scantily clad women standing outside the entrance, beckoning them inside. The others were practically panting like dogs and Dimitri, who quite honestly did not want to set foot in another brothel after what happened last time, had to drag Rat away by the back of his shorts.

The outline of their ship was just one among many in the harbor as the crew climbed back aboard for the night. Sinbad caught Kale by the arm as he walked by. "I think that I found us something to keep us busy tomorrow night."

"Did you now," answered the first mate.

"What is it, Captain?" Rat bounded over and slipped into Sinbad's personal space like he did with everybody. "Does it involve the presence of beautiful signorinas?"

"Rat, if every job we had involved beautiful women, we'd never get anything done." He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and held it up, grinning like the cat who had stolen the cream. "Look what so happened to jump from Proteus' desk into my pocket. However did that happen?"

The crew sniggered while Dimitri raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly is it?"

"Oh, just a little note talking about a smuggling problem that Cairo has been having lately…it looks like a couple of the members of the transport team got themselves arrested recently and the law is trying to find the leader – a man named Nassor."

"And what are we supposed to do?" asked Li.

"Well." Sinbad straightened his sash and looked about as cocky as possible. "I happen to be on good terms with Nassor. If he needs more men, I don't think he'd turn away a good friend and his crew."

"And what does this Nassor guy smuggle exactly?" Dimitri asked.

Sinbad unfolded the note and looked it over. "Anything that you have to pay taxes on. Wine, grain, slaves, the usual. He probably knows we're in town already," he mused.

"Slaves?" Dimitri faltered, "Are we trading people?"

A couple members of the crew looked at him, including Sinbad and Kale. "You got something against slaves, cabin boy?"

Dimitri clenched his fists. He was in a different time, he reminded himself. But how could he stop the anger welling inside of him, when he had grown up barely above slavery?

"It isn't the season for it anyway," said Kale, ever the peace-maker. "It's too hot for anybody to think about moving humans in the desert." He glanced at Dimitri. "We don't deal with slaves."

Dimitri relaxed. "Good," he said, "Good." It just occurred to him that he must have passed by hundreds of slaves in the different cities they had been in. The people who had served him food and drink: had they been employees or indeed, slaves? The more he thought about it, the more nauseous he felt and he quickly put it out of his head.

Sinbad put the paper back in his pocket. "I'll go talk to Nassor tomorrow. With any luck this will be what we're looking for." He stamped his foot on the deck. "Dismissed!" Everyone separated either to act as night watch or down to the crew's quarters for some much needed sleep. Sinbad turned and walked into his cabin, closing the door behind him in a clear message that he was not to be disturbed.

Dimitri watched as the door slammed and wondered with more than a little trepidation how long it would be before he was inadvertently sucked back into the statuette. He walked down into the crew's quarters behind Jed, feeling the weight of guilt even more heavily than before.

Back in Sinbad's cabin, the door remained shut on an empty room.


	46. Chapter 46

As soon as the sun cast a pink hue over the Chimera, Dimitri was awake. Not that he could see the sky, being below deck, but his internal clock had set itself to Sinbad's unreasonably early schedule and he had even taken to waking earlier than the rest of the crew. It was advantageous in terms of getting breakfast ahead of time, and he was on good terms with Eusebios the chef by now. Nowadays though, he had others reasons for getting up before everyone else.

He slipped out of his hammock as quietly as he could and tiptoed out onto the deck. The air was… well, it wasn't the cool morning air of Europe but it wasn't scalding just yet. Dimitri gave up tiptoeing once he was outside and headed straight for the captain's cabin. He pushed it open and found the place empty, as expected. He quickly closed the door and rummaged into the pockets of his new pair of pants, pulling out the little statue. He had to admit, these clothes were a lot more suited to this weather, even if he thought he looked a bit ridiculous.

"Come out," he whispered, running his fingers along the statue's head and arm.

Sinbad appeared out of thin air, and managed to land on his feet and not knock anything over this time. Whether that was because he was getting used to this or because he refused to land on his ass anymore, it was impossible to say.

The captain didn't say anything. In fact his face was oddly emotionless. He didn't even straighten his rather rumbled clothes or his wild hair. Instead, Sinbad looked around, took in Dimitri and the statuette, and walked over to his bed. He collapsed onto the sheets and didn't move.

Clearly it was a good time to sulk.

Dimitri really didn't want to have to deal with an empty Sinbad. He would even rather have an irate, ranting one than a man who looked like he'd given up. What was it like in that statuette, anyway? Was it a different world, a different dimension? Or was it simply nothing, like a loss of existence? Dimitri had a hard time wrapping his head around that concept.

"Hey…" He sat down next to Sinbad's prone form. "Are you okay?"

Sinbad didn't reply, but he did reach out and pull a cushion over his head. Dimitri reached his hand out and tentatively stroked Sinbad's back. He wanted to swear to him that he would find a way to reverse this, but he had the feeling Sinbad didn't want to hear him say that again.

Sinbad scowled under the pillow. Why couldn't this guy just take the hint and leave? He wanted to take a nap, stab something, and then throw something heavy and breakable. Maybe not necessarily in that order. He tried to shrug off the hand.

Perhaps Dimitri should go… or perhaps he could be his usual foolish self around the captain and stay when he wasn't wanted. He leaned over and laid his cheek against the back of Sinbad's neck. It was nice, having human contact after all this time.

"Go away," Sinbad growled from under the pillow. He refused to react to the touch, even though his body seemed to crave it like opium.

"Okay." Dimitri pressed a kiss to his nape and stood up. He walked around the length of the bed and bent down, pushing the pillow away from Sinbad's face. "I was hoping to make you feel better, but if you really want me to go..." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Then I will."

Sinbad instantly grabbed the pillow back and smashed his face into it so that he wouldn't have to look at Dimitri. "I said go, so why are you still here?" His words were muffled.

Dimitri slid his arms around his shoulders and bent down to whisper in his ear: "Because I want to be." And it was true. He craved their contact, despite his lingering guilt and fear. Sinbad's muscles went tense under his hands.

"I gave you an order, cabin boy. Get the hell out of my room before I throw you out."

"Then throw me out." Dimitri's hands glided into his hair.

Sinbad's hands balled into fists. God, it would have been so satisfying to do just that. It was Dimitri's fault that he was in this plight to begin with. Without his interference, he would be just fine. On top of the world.

Not brought low by a damn trinket.

Dimitri's hands lowered to rub at his shoulder blades, hoping to get rid of some of that tension. Sinbad kept grumbling into the pillow, but didn't seem to be quite as adverse to the touches. His back arched a bit so that Dimitri could hit one spot in particular, though the shirt made it a bit more difficult.

Seeing as he hadn't been pushed away, Dimitri continued his ministrations. He was not master of massage, so he just went with what felt natural. His palms rubbed along Sinbad's spine, up and down, up and down. Eventually the captain seemed to relax under the strokes and his complaints trailed off.

"That's better." Dimitri gave him a small pat on the back.

"You never listen to what you should, do you?"

"Never did, I'm afraid." He smirked. "But you don't either."

Sinbad rolled over so that he could look at Dimitri. His shirt had come untucked from his sash and rode up on his stomach, revealing tanned skin. "Well yeah, but I'm the captain. I don't have to listen to anybody. You're just baggage as far as I'm concerned."

"And if that's all I am, why haven't you gotten rid of me yet?" Dimitri crossed his arms, unable to resist pushing him.

"I've tried, you just keep coming back. Like a bad coin." He pulled a coin out of the pouch tied to his sash and flipped it to emphasize his words.

"There's no such thing as a bad coin, what does that even mean?"

Sinbad stared at him. "False gold? You know, where they put iron in the center instead of gold all the way through and then pass it off as…never mind. You're an idiot. I forgot."

"Not an idiot, I'm just from a place where no one even bothers to counterfeit coins anymore because there's better currency to get ahold of. Now since you've obviously back to your pleasant self, I'll just let myself out." Dimitri stood up and dusted off his pants. Why did he even bother trying?

The coin bounced off his forehead as Sinbad flicked it at him. "I'm still mad at you."

He flinched. "I know."

"You should make it up to me."

Dimitri chuckled. "And how do you want me to do that?"

"Let's just say that it involves your mouth and certain portions of my anatomy. I'm sure you can figure the rest out." Sinbad shifted one of his legs so that his groin pressed against the fabric. He was already growing erect.

"Don't we have to be up and about soon?" Dimitri sidled back to the edge of the bed, one of his hands sliding down to fiddle with Sinbad's pant strings.

Sinbad leaned back on the pillows. "Nope. Not meeting with Nassor until this evening."

"No chores to run this morning either?" Dimitri leaned over him and let his hand slide over Sinbad's groin.

The pirate's hips rose to press against him more fully. "We can do them later…"

"Fine by me." He licked under Sinbad's chin while his hand finally managed to wiggle fully into Sinbad's pants.

Sinbad grabbed his wrist and squeezed it hard. "I said your mouth, cabin boy."

Dimitri stopped licking and moved down Sinbad's body. "Yes, Captain," he said with no small degree of mockery, but nevertheless, he nuzzled against Sinbad's erection and gave it a few experimental licks. He had only done this once before, but surely a bit more practice couldn't hurt.

A hand fisted in his hair and dragged him in closer. "No being cute and shy this time, remember that this is a punishment."

Dimitri could think of worse punishments than this but he wisely kept his mouth occupied with other things. He held Sinbad's cock at the base as he tried to see how much he could fit in his mouth.

Sinbad groaned deep in his throat as Dimitri's mouth slid down his length, his tongue licking all of his most sensitive spots. His heart began to beat faster as he struggled not to thrust hard into his mouth and make him gag.

It wasn't very comfortable for Dimitri but he decided to take it in stride and took in as much as he could before sliding his mouth back up. His rhythm was slow and uncertain, and he had the nagging fear of being barged in on by a member of the crew at any moment.

"Use your hands too," commanded Sinbad. He was clearly determined to be in charge, even though he was on the receiving end.

Dimitri did as he was told, determined to do this right if it would put Sinbad in a better mood. His cheeks hollowed as he sucked harder. Sinbad's hips lifted right off of the bed and he shouted with pleasure. The taste of precum washed over Dimitri's tongue. Dimitri flinched at the sudden taste but quickly recovered and continued, letting his tongue run along the tip as his hands pumped Sinbad to completion.

His spine bowed as he came, his mouth open on a silent scream. His hands tightened in Dimitri's hair and he made a little whimpering noise as if he couldn't keep completely quiet. Dimitri swallowed out of surprise and pulled away, wiping his mouth on his arm. He coughed a bit and glanced at Sinbad. "Feel better now?"

Sinbad had collapsed back onto the pillows and was breathing as if he'd just been out running rather than getting his brains sucked out of his dick. "What," he panted, "was the question?"

"Nothing." Dimitri swallowed a few times to get rid of the taste in his mouth.

Sinbad looked like a carnal dream, with his hair and clothes mussed and a thin layer of sweat on his skin. His cock, which was still half hard and wet with Dimitri's saliva, lay against his trembling leg as he struggled to catch his breath.

Too bad Dimitri was busy cleaning his face in Sinbad's water bowl to admire the view.

"Dimitri," Sinbad said quietly.

"Hm?" He turned around.

"Come here."

Dimitri gulped and did so, his heart hammering loudly. He paused at the foot of the bed, and Sinbad gestured for him to come closer with a crooked finger. He finally sat next to Sinbad and leaned forward, curious.

Sinbad leaned forward and kissed him, his tongue sweeping into Dimitri's mouth to tangle with his. Dimitri reacted immediately and pressed himself closer to Sinbad, framing his face with his hands.

"I think you liked that," he murmured against Dimitri's mouth, one of his hands sliding into his lap.

"Huh?" Dimitri's dazed mind didn't register Sinbad's words.

Sinbad laughed breathlessly. "You're getting good at that. Maybe some more practice..."

Dimitri laughed along with him. "Was that a compliment? From you? I'm shocked."

"I'll take it back by insulting your sea-farring skills in a few minutes." Sinbad lay back on the cushions again and smirked at him.

"Oh, I think we both know I'm no sailor." He flattened his hair and smirked right back at the captain.

"At least you're good at other things."

"Well, I've survived this long, haven't I?"

"Barely." Sinbad reached out and stroked the front of Dimitri's pants. He shuddered and bit his lip to keep quiet, even as his knees buckled and he thrust against Sinbad's hand. "You know, if I didn't know better I'd say you enjoyed your punishment." His fingers dug into Dimitri's erection.

A high moan left his lips even as he bit down on them and he grabbed onto Sinbad's shoulders to stop himself from falling. God, he needed this. Sinbad grabbed his shoulders and rolled so That Dimitr was tucked underneath his, their hips fused together. "Maybe I'll just have to resort to another form of torture."

"I promise not to struggle," Dimitri said hoarsely, rolling his hips upwards.

"I dunno, you can if you really want. Won't do you any good, but..." Sinbad slithered down his body until his mouth hovered over his erection without actually touching it. Dimitri lost the ability to talk at that point and was panting louder in anticipation. He could feel Sinbad's breath over his crotch and it took everything not to buck upwards.

Sinbad closed his mouth over the bulge in the fabric, the warm, wet heat soaking through the material.

"Oh GOD!" Dimitri scrabbled at his shoulders and his legs twitched as he was suddenly engulfed in mind numbing bliss. He forgot about his guilt and his world weariness for just a glorious minute, letting his baser desires take over temporarily.

"Nope, Sinbad." He laughed as he reached up and undid the ties of Dimitri's pants, pulling them down his hips so that his cock was out in the open. He blew across the tip. Dimitri threw his head back and panted harshly and dug his fingers into the mattress. He wasn't going to last very long...

"Maybe I'll just leave you like this," said Sinbad.

"Don't you DARE!" Dimitri hissed, gripping onto his shoulders tightly.

"Oh but I really should. Then you can suffer like I do, if maybe not for quite as long." He made as if to pull away.

Dimitri threw himself at Sinbad and ended up on top of him, entwining their limbs and grinding down on him to get as much friction as he could. "Shut. Up," he growled.

Sinbad bucked hard underneath him, growing hard again as Dimitri ground against him.

And just to make sure Sinbad did shut up, Dimitri kissed him hard, letting his tongue roam against his lips while his other hand slithered down to rub against the bump forming in his pants.

Sinbad groaned into Dimitri's mouth. "So I guess that's a no?"

"That is a very big no," he bit Sinbad's earlobe and ground against him some more.

The thought went through Sinbad's head to push off his cabin boy and leave, just to see his horrified expression. But then his teeth closed around his earlobe and every thought went out of his head other than to reach completion. His hips bucked and he moaned as goose bumps broke out all over his skin.

Dimitri responded in kind and kissed him again, moving faster now that he was on the verge of finishing. If Sinbad so much as touched him down there, he would be a goner.

As if he'd read his mind, Sinbad's hand slid down and laced with Dimitri's, their joined hands sliding up the underside of his straining cock. He shuddered and came with a hoarse cry spurting all over Sinbad as his mind momentarily blanked. He fell on top of him, trembling and breathing harshly.

Dimitri pushed himself off of the captain so that he could breathe and let his sweat cool.

"Well I might have been in a cuddling mood, but if you really need space…" Sinbad said with a yawn as he did a full body stretch, his spine bowing off of the bed as he groaned with relief and pleasure.

"Cuddling can come after I catch my breath," Dimitri replied. His cheeks puffed as he exhaled loudly, and he flung his arm over his eyes.

"Never mind, I don't think I want to if you're sweaty anyway. You might make me smell like cabin boy." He trailed a finger through the mess that Dimitri had left on his stomach. "More than I already do."

"If you want me out, just say so," he said, unwilling to let Sinbad's jabs ruin his current good mood.

"I don't recall those words ever passing my handsome lips," the pirate mused.

"Oh, God." Dimitri rolled over onto his side away from him. "Alright, you keep praising yourself, I'll just lie here and pretend to listen."

"No, I think that you should praise me instead. You can carry on about my sexual talents and my strong jaw line." Sinbad rolled after him and ended up half draped across his bed mate.

"I'm going to sleep," Dimitri mumbled.

"No you aren't. Tell me about how wonderful I am."

"Stop it."

"You can't tell the captain to stop it. That's against the rules."

Dimitri harrumphed and rolled his eyes, though Sinbad couldn't see it. "I'm going to sleep because I have to wake up at an ungodly hour for whatever it is you have planned for tomorrow."

"Fine, you get a five minute nap because the sun is already up and we have work to do. Smuggler lords to meet. The usual." He gave Dimitri a hard jab in the ass and jumped out of bed with an energy that he shouldn't have had, considering the services he'd just received.

"What?" Dimitri's head shot up to glance out the window. The sky was a bright orange with the last vestiges of night fading into pink. His head fell back onto the pillow and his groan was muffled.

"Don't tell me you'd rather lie in bed all day, where's the fun in that? Unless you'd rather try for another round." This time Sinbad's hands smoothed over his ass, his fingers digging deeply into the thick muscle.

Dimitri tensed and shuddered at the touch, even as he said, "I'm keeping my pants on."

"Fine, ruin my fun."

He sat up and bent down to pick up his clothes. "I'm just making sure you don't blame me for making us late for your meeting."

"I would do that even if we were on time, just because your indignant face amuses me that much." Sinbad did his best to straighten his rumpled clothes and then apparently decided that there was no salvaging them. He stripped them all off, tosses his pants over Dimitri's head, and went digging around for fresh ones.


	47. Chapter 47

One pant toss and dress-up later, Dimitri was strolling around the deck, muttering to himself about stupid pirates and their stupid bed skills. Sinbad emerged a few minutes later, looking about as fresh as a spring daisy. It would have been easy to hate him, even if only for his casual elegance.

"Captain!" Luca ran up to greet him with a heart salute. "What's on the agenda today?"

"Murder, mayhem, and chaos." Sinbad rubbed his hands together with relish. "Where the hell is Kale?"

"Helping Rat untangle himself from the mast, Captain," Luca replied before running off.

"Again? Who strung him up this time?" The captain stomped off to deal with that, leaving Dimitri standing on his own again. That suited him just fine though, since he could lean over the railing and let the morning breeze wake him up. Something told him they were about to have a long day.

"Sleep well?" Kale came up beside him and leaned on the railing too. His voice was slightly teasing, as if he knew exactly where Dimitri had spent his morning.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Rat?"

"Sinbad is handling it. I think that the twins hung him upside down while he was sleeping last night. Being in port with limitless alcohol close at hand is an interesting experience for all of us."

"Hm." Dimitri looked down at his linked hands. The noises of Cairo's inhabitants were growing audible from here; they would probably disembark soon. "So... how exactly does your brand of smuggling work?"

"Well, we aren't always smugglers. That's more of a part time job just to keep us busy." There was a bit of shouting from behind them and the sound of a thud, like a body hitting the deck. "When we aren't out chasing down ships, it keeps us from getting bored. In a place like Cairo, getting bored can be very bad for people like us."

"Does it pay well in this day and age?" he asked, thinking back to the lucrative business he had had for a few years, smuggling out valuable items from the tsar's old palace. Neither he nor Kale had moved an inch to check up on Rat.

"If you don't get caught," the first mate answered with a chuckle. "But Nassor is a good man. If any of his crew got captured it was because they were either drunk or stupid. He pays well, but he doesn't suffer fools."

Dimitri stood up straight and tugged at his new vest, smiling smugly. "Let's do this, then. Of all the activities you pirates do, smuggling is probably the only thing I have experience in."

"Is that so?"

"I'm not exactly on the good side of the law back home," he said, "My latest stunt was trying to get a girl to impersonate royalty. Except she really was royalty, so... that wasn't illegal, I guess?"

Kale seemed to think about that for a minute. "No, I guess it wouldn't be. Did it pay well?"

The princess deal was supposed to make me richer than most people." Bringing all of this up didn't seem to hurt as much as Dimitri had expected. Maybe it was the series of crazy events he had been through in a few short months, maybe he was still basking in afterglow, and maybe a small part of him had given up on ever getting home. He felt nothing short of numb over the whole princess ordeal now. Anya still made his chest clench painfully, but he was getting better and better at pushing her away whenever she surfaced.

"And so what happened with the girl?" Kale pushed.

He shrugged. "I reunited her with her grandmother and I was ready to go back home. Somehow I ended up here."

"So the smuggler ended up doing a good deed. I hope that you don't intend to return our cargo tonight back to the farmer!" He clapped Dimitri on the back and turned away from the water. "Dimitri," he said, all teasing gone from his voice.

"Hm?"

"It's probably none of my business, but I'll warn you anyway. Don't fall in love with Sinbad."

Dimitri froze, unsure he had heard correctly. "What?"

"He's flighty. You might have noticed. I've watched people all across the Mediterranean fall for his charm and then he leaves and they only see him again next time he decides to come to port. I don't want to see that happen to you too. You're a good kid."

"I..." Dimitri began, but closed his mouth, trying to swallow past the lump on his throat. Was that what it looked like to Kale? The mere thought made his palms sweat. "I have no use for love," he said finally.

"That's good, because neither does he."

"What are we talking about? Me? It had better be me. I should have my own holiday, Kale. Just so that people can celebrate the wonder that I am." Sinbad strode across the deck towards them. He looked a bit mussed, as if he had been tussling with a certain set of twins.

Dimitri jumped at his voice and closed his eyes, muttering under his breath.

"Just about the job tonight, Captain." Kale saved him from having to answer.

"Not quite about me, but good enough. You and I are going to go in and meet with Nassor just to see if he needs a couple of extra hands. You," he pointed at Dimitri, "are going to stay here and keep your beaky nose out of trouble."

"Sure thing, Captain," he said flatly. Fall in love with someone more irritating than Anya? Even he wasn't that hopeless.


	48. Chapter 48

Later that day, the crew was having lunch below deck after Eusebios had acquired fresh vegetables and grain. He had insisted on cooking for everyone rather than let them dine in town, saying that he wanted to try some new recipes on them. So they all dined on the Chimera, and were pleasantly surprised at Eusebios' skills. Dimitri was especially fond of the carrots dipped in honey and even stole some off or Rat's plate when he wasn't looking.

It didn't take long for Sinbad to call a halt to the mild festivities though. The twins had broken out a deck of cards, all of which had hand-painted pictures of naked ladies on them, and were doing tricks with them while the rest of the crew drank and laughed.

The pirate captain clambered up onto the table so that he could strike a more imposing figure. He wasn't the tallest of men and his stocky build lent itself more to brawling than giving any sort of authority. Luckily his enthusiasm and sheer ornery nature helped to make up for what he lacked in height.

"Right! Settle down boys, and Rat! Where did you get those?"

"A pretty _se__ñ__orita_ made them just for me, Captain."

"Well you better tell me where she lives because I want a set."

The rest of the crew all called out in agreement.

Dimitri wanted to say that he could've found a dozen decks of a similar nature just by browsing the Parisian markets, but he had learned to curb his tongue when wanting to talk about his timeline. Everybody around him still believed that he had hit his head and lost half of his brain cells before joining Sinbad's ship.

"Now I am going to take my most trusted crew member – take a bow Kale, you've been promoted – and go see if Nassor has anything up his sleeve for us since I know you've all been dying of boredom."

This was met with boos and hisses until Sinbad kicked a plate of carrots at Jed and brained him with it.

"Captain! How much money do you think we will get from Nassor's new job, eh?" Rat asked. He looked down at his plate only to see that all of his honey-glazed carrots had disappeared and glared at Dimitri, who attempted to smile through his filled cheeks.

"Because all of the gold that we got from Cyprus wasn't enough for you? Of course it wasn't. Until I can afford all of Fiji I refuse to retire. As for Nassor, I think I can sweet-talk him out of a coin or two for an old friend."

Kale slid his carrots over to Rat and then leaned down to talk to Dimitri quietly enough that he wouldn't be heard over to commotion. "Sinbad and Nassor used to sail together. He's the reason I'm first mate, actually. After Nassor retired and moved on to land smuggling Sinbad swore that he would never be able to replace him."

Dimitri swallowed down all of his pilfered carrots before he spoke. "Is that so?" he said, "I can relate to that. I used to have a partner-in-crime too. He was sort of a father figure to me, since he and I met when I was fifteen."

"Well, Nassor is a bit of a legend around here. I Once he slew a serpent with only a grappling hook."

"No way, he skinned a chimera and made a necklace out of its teeth!" Jin leaned around Kale and spoke through a mouth full of lamb kebab.

"I heard that he slept with the great sphinx twice!" Li took the rest of his twin's kebab and started chewing on it.

Dimitri snorted. "I would like to know how exactly he managed that last one," he muttered.

"Well, apparently what he did was—" Jin began.

"I was only joking!" Dimitri interrupted.

Rat snickered next to him.

"No chatting in the ranks!" Shouted Sinbad and got a kebab thrown at him for his trouble.

A few minutes later, everyone was on deck after having scrubbed the walls clean of food; Eusebios would have had their hides otherwise.

Everyone stood to attention in a straight line, with Dimitri at the very end next to Jed, who was doing his usual under-the-breath mutterings. Everyone was used to that by now, of course. They were waiting for instructions from their fearless leader.

"Kale and Dimitri are with me. I want half of you on guard duty tonight just in case Proteus decides to take a stroll down to the docks with his little soldiers. The rest of you are on supply duty since I want to be off in three days' time. That does _not_ mean to only buy pickles, Jed. Nobody let him buy any more pickles."

"But PICKLES!" Jed insisted, distressed. He was dragged off the ship by the twins, crying out his love for the little briny things.

"Well, now that that's over, shall we?" Dimitri ran down the gangplank ahead of the other two. He steered clear of the herd of camels tethered together near the Chimera, wary of their expectorating ways.

"He seems a bit eager," Kale rubbed his shiny head as he followed at a more sedate pace with Sinbad.

"For a kid who has no idea where he's going he's always more than happy to be first," Sinbad agreed.

"I'm still not sure why we're taking him with us." It wasn't exactly questioning Sinbad's motives, but the confusion was still visible in his dark eyes. "Usually you let the new crewmates sit and stew on the ship for a little while."

"Did I ask you for your opinion? I have my reasons for everything." And his reason at the moment was currently nestled in his cabin boy's pocket. Maybe Nassor would know a thing or two about cursed statues…

"Alright then, which way?" Dimitri asked, rubbing his hands together.

Kale pointed to their left, past the herd of camels. As they went on their way, Dimitri eyed the beasts suspiciously and only breathed a sigh of relief once they were too far away to spit on him.

Cairo seemed to be twice as crowded as it was yesterday; the three of them had to squeeze through throngs of merchants and livestock, only getting a moment's reprieve once they turned into a back alley that was virtually empty save for a lone beggar sitting against a crumbling wall.

"Spare a coin?" The beggar asked them plaintively as they walked by.

Sinbad paused and leaned down so that he could look at the man. "I would, but I don't think you need it."  
>The beggar, who looked like he had only one eye, smiled at them and revealed several blackened teeth. "I am but a humble beggar, good sir. Not a single coin to my name."<p>

"And I'm a monk."

"Sinbad," Kale chastised.

Dimitri hoped this wasn't going to turn into some sort of pirate brawl in the middle of the alley. He had experienced that once and he wasn't really in the mood to do it again. He eyed the beggar's tattered clothes, all of a sudden wondering whether there were any weapons hidden under there.

"Alright, so is this just the usual beggar con or not?" he asked.

"A con?" The beggar said in apparent outrage. "I collected two silvers while I was waiting here."

"I'm very happy for you. Overjoyed even. Can we go now?" Sinbad tapped his foot impatiently.

"You never were one for theatrics," sighed the beggar. He shifted to the side and revealed a tunnel that had been hidden behind his worn robes. It was small enough that all of them would have to crawl to get through the wall, but big enough that Kale wouldn't have to wait in the alley. The beggar vanished through it in a flash of dust-colored robes.

"Should've guessed," Dimitri said with a chuckle.

Sinbad climbed into the tunnel after the 'beggar' and Kale let Dimitri go before him. He knelt down on all fours and crawled into the tight space, glad that claustrophobia was not a big concern of his.

The tunnel was smelly though, and damp. He shuddered as his hands touched the damp ground, occasionally falling into a tiny puddle of some sort. Ah, the ancient days of smuggling, when underground meant crawling through dirt.

Thankfully it was a short trip and he soon emerged into a dark room, lit only by a few torches on the walls. Dimitri hastily wiped his hands on his pants and then got a good look at his surroundings.

The place was full of burly, raucous men not unlike Sinbad's crew. They were all seated at a table, playing with dice and betting large pouches of coins. All around them were crates, barrels and even a few large statues lining the walls, stacked as high as the ceiling. It was the ultimate smuggler's den.

The beggar had thrown off his dusty robes, revealing rich silks beneath them. The black on his teeth was easily rubbed off and the eye patch vanished into some inner pocket.

"So what are you going to spend your two silvers on, Nassor? Planning on living the life of luxury now that you've made it big?"

"Well I would," replied Nassor as he brushed the dust out of a rather impressive beard. "But Eshe may just have to smother me with one of our pillows and neither of us wants that. Especially her because I'd be rather expensive to replace."

"She only married you because of your impressive bedding skills. You'd be forgotten as quickly as yesterday's breakfast."

Dimitri's eyebrows raised in mild surprise. "Wait, he's your brother-in-law?" he said to Sinbad. "So, do you just have a family operation that spans throughout the Mediterranean? Because if you do, color me impressed."

He turned to a golden statuette of Athena about a head taller than him, and gently scratched at her arm.

"Impressive," he said with a whistle.

"Wait, why are you impressed with my family but not by my massive –"

"Nice to see you again Nassor." Kale stepped around the outraged captain and shook hands with the smuggler with Sinbad glared daggers at Dimitri's back.

He pretended not to notice and stepped forward to introduce himself.

"I'm Dimitri, the ah… cabin boy." It was still an odd thing to say; he hadn't held a job with 'boy' in the title since he was twelve. He held out his hand to shake Nassor's.

"Cabin boy?" The smuggler king's eyebrows shot up into his dark hair and he roared with laughter, ignoring Dimitri's hand. "Hey Sinbad! Has your crew fallen so low that you have to take the cabin boy with you? Or did you just bring him along in case the urge strikes you in one of my many fine rooms?"

"The later, I assure you." Sinbad's smirk held more than a little bit of perverse satisfaction.

"Don't make me hit you with the statuette in my pocket," Dimitri said casually.

"Does he really call it his statue?" Nassor asked curiously and Sinbad roared with laughter.

"That's right," Dimitri said with his crossed arms. "Bad euphemisms, those are my specialty."

Sinbad wouldn't be laughing if he refused to let him out of his prison for a while. Sure, the repercussions would probably be unpleasant, but Dimitri would regret nothing.

"Your only specialty. Kale, watch the cabin boy while my brother and I have a little talk about business."

"Aye, Captain."

Once they were gone, Dimitri crossed his arms and looked at Kale, his lips thinning into a grim line.

"I was serious about the statue," he said quietly. "That asshole now depends on me to walk around."

"Still convinced that you met a genie on Cyprus?"

"Tell you what, Kale. If Sinbad disappears without a trace in a few hours and you can't find him, just come to me."

Dimitri went to an empty seat and squeezed himself between two of the gamblers. "Hello gentlemen. Room for one more?" he asked.

The men glanced at him with mixed degrees of surprise, until he pulled out a large satchel of coins. He had swiped it a few weeks ago, once he'd realized that Sinbad slept like the dead after sex. His tablemates cheered their approval and welcomed him into the game.

"Excellent!" Dimitri said, drumming his fingers on the table. "So… how do you play this?"

…

"Did you really steal the Prince's papers?" Nassor seated himself on a luxurious spread of cushions and soft rugs in one of the back rooms of the building. Two guards stood watch at the door to prevent anybody else from walking in on them.

Sinbad let himself fall backwards onto a mound of cushions and completely vanished except for his leather boots. "Right off of his little table. But I would have come by anyway just because I knew that you missed me."

"Speaking of missing you, Eshe wants to know if you're planning on coming to dinner while you're here or if you just plan to sneak off in the night like you did last time. I heard about that one for months," Nassor grumbled as he poured himself a small silver cup of something cold from the teapot that sat on one of the cushions.

The pirate sat up and let the pillows roll all over. His hat was missing. "I warned you when you married her that she would be the death of you."

"And I'm still convinced that death will be because of too much sex, thank you."

"Please do not talk to me about having or even thinking about having sex with my beloved sister. I don't need that sort of stain on my mind." He accepted the cup of ice water that Nassor handed him.

"Just because you like to run about and stick your parts into anything that has a hole doesn't mean that the rest of us have to. Anymore," he amended with a sheepish look that had Sinbad snorting water out of his nose. "But back to business. You think that I should take you and your lay about crew to replace the men that I lost?"

"Well the timing couldn't be better. You clearly had a slip up and bam! Here we are like magic to help fill in the gaps. Perfect." Sinbad dug his hat out of the pillows and stuck it on backwards.

"It would be perfect if I still had my original men. As it is I lost two of my best and three fools who thought that they could sell us out for more coin than they were already getting. We lost an entire cargo of grain and alcohol."

"And the men?"

"Dead now." Nassor shrugged. "A mysterious poison that killed them before they could be questioned. A shame, but they knew the risk of being caught."

"We always did have different opinion about leaving men behind," Sinbad said quietly as he refilled his cup and looked at it contemplatively.

Nassor tilted his head to the side to acknowledge the point, clearly not bothered by the fact that he had given the order to have five men murdered because they'd had the misfortune to fall into the hands of the Cairo guards. "This is true. Do you still want to fill in my gaps, Sinbad?"

Sinbad seemed to consider it for a long moment. On one hand there was a high risk of being caught or having something go wrong in a smuggling operation. It wasn't as though he could just sail faster than his enemies to escape after all. But on the other the payout could be fantastic if everything went according to plan. He smiled across the table at his brother.

"What's life without a bit of danger to make it interesting?"

The silver cups chimed as they touched them together in a toast.


	49. Chapter 49

While the two were busy plotting, Dimitri had lost about half of his original amount of coins. He won a few rounds and lost others, but overall he was keeping up in the game. And unless he had loaded dice, he wouldn't be able to roll a high number every time. Not that he would use loaded dice around these men. They would probably slice his head off faster than he could say: "I win everything."

Even Kale had joined in for a few rounds and spent most of his time chatting with some of the men he was more familiar with. All in all, it was pretty jovial around the table.

When Sinbad and Nassor finally came back out of the back room where they had been quietly talking, the game quickly ended as one of the smugglers scooped up the chips and hid them away in an inside pocket. None of the players seemed put out that their game had ended, in fact it was all rather civilized as they collected their winnings. A couple of gold coins were flicked to Dimitri and a larger handful to Kale. The first mate's stash vanished as quickly as the dice, though it was hard to tell where he was hiding it considering his lack of any covering from the waist up.

"My friends," announced Nassor in a loud and boisterous voice. "My wandering brother Sinbad has returned to my arms, begging for a chance to work at my side again. Clearly his boat rats are not good enough company for him anymore if he thinks to seek us out, eh?"

The smugglers laughed, and a couple who were sitting on a pile of carpets in the corner blew a few smoke rings. Sinbad elbowed Nassor in the side, though not as hard as he might have done to Kale of any of the other men on the Chimera.

Dimitri pocketed the gold he had won and patted it reassuringly before turning his attention to Nassor's speech. He was very interested in this smuggling job they would be doing now. Sure, he had plenty of experience in the matter, but this was a different time. How thorough were the authorities in searching for illegal trading? How did they communicate when and where the goods were to be transported?

So many of these questions swirled in Dimitri's mind and he waited expectantly for more details that were hopefully to come.

"Tonight I will meet you at my home. We shall have a nice meal and converse as family does. Your men will gather in the home next to us, which is owned by another one of my men. The goods are being held there. We will slip in and continue out from there. How many men can you bring with you?"

Sinbad pulled off his cloth hat and smoothed back his hair as if he dealt with smugglers and murderers every day. Although in his line of work he probably did. It was enough to make a modern Russian man cringe. "Seven, at least."

"Good, we will need every one of them for this venture. If we succeed we shall all drink very well in the morning."

"What are the odds of us succeeding?" Dimitri asked. It was always a rule with him to know the level of danger involved in each smuggling case. "Is it pretty high?"

He tapped his fingers on the table nervously. Knowing how to operate illegally in your own time was one thing. Doing this in a time when they would probably chop your limbs off for stealing an apple was another thing entirely.

Nassor sniffed as if he'd been insulted. "I don't run one of the most successful smuggling operations in Egypt by being a fool. You do your job and you'll get through. Sinbad, don't tell me that you plan on taking your pillow boy tonight."

"I have to. Otherwise he'll sulk and then I'll have to work my way through the brothels here instead."

The smuggler groaned loudly and dramatically. "Don't let him do that. After the last time they all pined for you for weeks and nothing got done."

"Well excuse me for asking," Dimitri said sharply, "You probably wouldn't be able to smuggle toothpicks where I come from without getting interrogated." He ignored the annoyed pang that flared in his belly at the thought of Sinbad plowing through every single whorehouse in the city because there was no reason to. It's wasn't as though they were bound to each other or anything.

"Luckily we aren't where you're from, so I suggest you stop talking about it." Sinbad crossed the room and caught him by the collar of his shirt, a clear sign for him to shut his mouth.

"Oh but Sinbad, I am interested to hear your pillow boy's story! Where did you pick him up that even I wouldn't be able to do my business?"

"Nowhere, brother. He just likes to talk a lot."

"Let go of me!" Dimitri wrestled out of Sinbad's grip, his annoyance flaring two-fold. People called ancient times barbaric, but he was starting to think they were putting it lightly. "Maybe I shouldn't go on your little excursion, then. I'm sure you can find more capable guys, O Captain."

"And what happens when your little djinn spell calls me back to my damn ship?" Sinbad hissed quietly enough that only Dimitri could hear him. "If I vanish on a job like this, Nassor will cheerfully have us all killed and tell Eshe that it was a tragic accident. I don't care about hurting your delicate feelings because right now I have to take care of my crew."

"I was asking a perfectly reasonable question. If anything your brother-in-law is the one with 'delicate little feelings'. I may not be from around here but I've had to survive off the streets just as long as you have. Stop treating me like some useless tagalong," he hissed back. With that, he turned away from Sinbad and went to sit by someone who didn't get his blood boiling in mere seconds, which turned out to be Kale in this instance. How Sinbad hadn't gotten his balls cut off yet for his insufferable attitude, he didn't know.

Sinbad glared at his back and then at Kale, who shrugged and gave him a 'I'm not getting in the middle of this' look. How had he managed to pick up the most infuriating cabin boy between here and Spain? Perhaps it was just sheer bad luck on his part that was finally catching up to him. No man could have such good fortune without it being balanced out by an equal amount of bad, and Dimitri was a whole lot of bad rolled up in one package. That the package was one that begged to be undressed and kept in bed for days was just the sauce on top.

Sinbad growled to himself and swung back on his heel, nodding to Nassor. "We'll be there. Tell Eshe that I was lamb for dinner and I expect to be back again for breakfast."

"I'll pass on the message," replied Nassor with only a touch of smugness. He seemed more than happy to have been the cause of trouble between the sea captain and his latest conquest.

With that matter settled, Dimitri took to fiddling with the statue in his vest pocket. He had the mad urge to throw it into the next pile of camel dung he encountered, but he would content himself with leaving this place. The men had been nice enough to him when he had played with them, but any situation involving Sinbad in a throng of people was enough to make him see red.

He stood up and dusted off his pants, clearly eager to leave even if it meant crawling back through that slimy hole.

A few minutes later, once all of the formalities had been observed and goodbyes said, the three men stood alone out in the alley, brushing off their clothes so that it didn't look as though they'd just crawled through a wall.

"Well, that's settled. Now to gather up the rest of the bunch and we can get started." Sinbad dusted his hands together and straightened his sash. To anyone passing by he would have looked like a carefree merchant. The shrewd glint in his eyes wasn't apparent except upon closer inspection.

Dimitri followed behind him without a word. It was a relief to be back out into the busy streets, even if it meant getting caught in a turbulent sea of gruff merchants. At least as they trudged through the crowds he could lose himself in his thoughts. It was clear that he would have to find a way to break this stupid statuette curse; he couldn't go around having Sinbad depend on him forever to be free, and he was sure the captain felt the same. Perhaps after this whole smuggling operation he would try to find a solution, preferably a magical one. And who knew, maybe he could find a way back home as well.


	50. Chapter 50

The docks were emptier as they got back to the Chimera, deftly side-stepping the camel merchant who was pulling two of his new animals across the main street. Dimitri made a face at the retreating camel's swishing tail; he was never going to get used to the damn spitting things.

Once they were back on deck, he broke away from the others and made his way down to the crew's quarters, in need of a good drink from one of the fresh water barrels. Dimitri strode past the hammocks, his ears not picking up the low moaning coming from a few of them. It was only once he had served himself a cup and gulped it down that he finally heard it. One or two trembling voices were coming from the right, where Rat and the twins usually slept.

Dimitri slowly walked towards the sounds, his brow furrowing. "Hello?" he called out, "Who's there?"

The gently swaying shapes definitely looked like Jin, Li and Rat. As his eyes adjusted to the shadows, Dimitri found that he had guessed right.

"What happened to you guys?" he asked.

Li belched and quickly pressed a hand to his mouth, curling his body. His brother was paler than Dimitri himself and Rat's arms were dangling limply from his hammock.

"Bad mussels, Dimitri," he said, "Don't eat the seafood…"

He coughed once, twice, and Dimitri quickly jumped back before his shoes could be covered in regurgitated mussel.

"Geez, how much did you eat?" he muttered. Unable to stand the sight and smell any longer, he walked back above deck, exhaling sharply once he was out in fresh air.

"Sinbad!" he called out, looking around him. "Hey, Sinbad!"

Sinbad had settled himself back against one of the barrels and looked like he had been in the middle of a cat nap. With the warm sun and the slight breeze that carried the scent of salt and the city, it wasn't really surprising. Nobody in the city really wanted to be out conducting business during the hottest part of the day and the docks were oddly deserted as people disappeared back to their homes for a similar break and a small meal.

When he was hailed, the captain pushed back his cloth hat with his thumb and leveled an irate look at his cabin boy. Clearly he was not only cursed to spend his time in a statue, but to never have a moment's peace ever again.

"Next time you fall overboard I'm letting you drown. This isn't worth the headache, even with the sex."

"Rat, Jin and Li are sick," Dimitri said, stopping in front of his lazing captain. "Bad mussels. I don't know what exactly you guys do against food poisoning in this day and age, but they're not up to doing any work for a couple of days."

About to pull his hat back down over his eyes and go back to sleep, Sinbad was caught by surprise by this sudden turn of events and blinked for a second as his mind worked furiously.

"They can't be sick," he snarled. "We have a job to do and without three of my men we'll be shorthanded." He could deal with one or two of his crew not being able to step out with them on their nighttime activities, but three was disastrous. With a quick leap he was on his feet and pushed past Dimitri before descending into the belly of the ship.

"Who told you that you could get sick? These weren't my orders!" He promptly flipped the twins out of their hammocks and onto the floor.

They groaned in unison and went back to clutching their stomachs. Rat meanwhile, had his head hanging upside down off the side of his hammock. He was an unpleasant shade of green.

"Captain, please," he wheezed, "We cannot move without losing yesterday's lunch!"

"Useless! The lot of you! I should have sold you upriver as slave labor and cut my losses!" With one boot he rolled Jin over and then recoiled with a look of disgust at how badly he smelled. The entire cabin area was filled with the scent of illness and shellfish, which didn't make a pleasant combination. "If you aren't back on your feet by tomorrow morning, I'm docking your pay for a week. Kale!" He bellowed, suddenly a whirling dervish of action as he he dashed back up the stairs and into the fresh daylight.

Kale had taken Sinbad's place against the barrel and was watching as Jed tinkered with what looked like a small bomb. "Captain?"

"Go find a medicine woman; I have three crew members down because of damn shellfish. This can't be happening."

"So now what?" Dimitri crossed his arms, his eyes scanning the people milling about on the docks. "Do you still have enough men to do this job or are we going to have to find some substitutes?"

He swung his arms out of their hold and slowly walked to the railing. "Alright Sinbad, you're the one with all the connections in this century. What should we do?" he asked, looking at the captain.

"I'll think of something, don't rush me."

"We don't have much time though." Dimitri wet his lips as he also racked his brains for a solution. He didn't know anyone in this particular time or place, but surely an experienced crook such as himself could still find a solution.

"You know, back in my country I once managed to smuggle old, priceless manuscripts with the help of a duchess. Granted, she thought that I was an English earl at the time… Say," Dimitri straightened as an idea came to him. "Don't you have friends in high places? That Prince Proteus or whoever he is. He wouldn't happen to owe you a favor or anything, would he?"

Sinbad snorted loudly enough that it probably hurt. "Proteus? Owe me a favor? That'll be the day. The two of us do our best to never end up in debt to each other, just because we probably wouldn't like what…" He trailed off, looking contemplative and pulling at his goatee. "But maybe…"

Dimitri smiled. "So? How are we going to pull this off?"

The pirate's smile was downright wicked. "I don't suppose you've ever kidnapped anybody before?"


	51. Chapter 51

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"No, now be quiet."

"Sinbad, I'm not sure this is the best plan."

"Of course it is! It's the perfect plan, since I came up with it and all of my plans are – "

"Who goes there?"

"Damn. Grab them, Kale!"

"Yes, Captain."

There was the brief sound of a scuffle from behind the building as two guards dressed in the livery of Syracuse were seized by massive brown hands and dragged into the shadows. A few yelps and clangs later, Sinbad and Kale walked out of the alley, now dressed in the guard's uniforms. Kale's was laughably small.

"Told you it was perfect," Sinbad said cheerfully.

Dimitri had to avert his eyes from Kale lest he burst into fits of chuckles.

"Flawless," he said, rubbing at his cheeks. "Absolutely, um… flawless."

Seeing Sinbad in something so formal and respectable was jarring, to say the least. It just occurred to him now how much more at ease he looked as a pirate. Perhaps some people were meant to be in the wrong side of the law. Dimitri had to wonder whether the same held true for him. After all, here he was about to commit royal kidnapping for the second time in his life.

"So now what?" he whispered.

"Now we kidnap a prince," Sinbad whispered with glee.

…

The candlelight in Proteus' room flickered and cast trembling shadows on the wall as the prince pored over documents on his table. Proposal after proposal had been thrown at him by the Cairo diplomats and still none of them could come to a unanimous agreement.

Proteus could feel the beginnings of a headache coming along. He put down the parchment he had been reading over and pinched the bridge of his nose with a weary sigh. It was days like this that he felt so much older than he should.

"How Father managed this for years, I will never know," he murmured to himself.

There was a quiet knock at the door and a voice murmured, "Your dinner has arrived, my Prince."

"Oh, thank goodness. Respite!" Proteus turned around and walked to the door. When he opened it, he smiled expectantly. The face that greeted him however, was not the one of his loyal guards. It was, unfortunately, very familiar and could only mean trouble.

"Oh good gods, what did you do?" he hissed.

"Why do you always automatically assume I've done something?" Demanded Sinbad.

"You're dressed in my guards' uniform, for one thing!" Proteus hissed. "What have you done with them?"

Dimitri peeked over Sinbad's shoulder, curious to get a better look of the prince; the first time he had seen him had been so brief.

"We left them napping behind the building. I'm sure they'll be up and about and making a lot of noise later. Kale? The bag."

And with that Proteus was promptly plucked up by the back of his shirt and deposited into a rather large sack, which kale swung over his shoulders.

"Shall we, gentlemen?" Sinbad asked casually, sweeping a mock bow for his two companions and gesturing towards the front door.

…

"Wha— Sinbad! SINBAD! UNHAND ME AT ONCE!" Proteus kicked violently, his angry voice muffled from within his prison.

Dimitri watched the wriggling bag slung over Kale's shoulder. The man didn't so much as flinch even when a thump could be heard against his back.

"Are you sure this is the best way to convince him to help us?" He asked Sinbad as they hurried down the corridor. They had to make a break for it in case Proteus' ceaseless yells alerted anyone in the vicinity. "I mean, I've done some pretty drastic things too, but I'm just wondering."

"I'll make it up to him later. If anybody saw him walking out with me he'd be in bigger trouble and I didn't feel like taking the window again. Where's your sense of adventure?"

He jabbed the sack with an elbow. "Quite thrashing and act like laundry."

"OW! Sinbad! If this is your idea of a joke, your sense of humor has dramatically withered over the years!" Proteus tried to swipe at the offending hand. "LET ME OUT AND TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON!"

"We just need a little help is all," Dimitri said, jogging to keep up with Kale's long strides. "Sinbad thought this was the, uh… best method to get you to cooperate."

A strange sort of snort came from the bag. "Help? HELP? I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR GAMES, SINBAD I HAVE DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS TO UPHOLD! NOW LET. ME. GO!"

"You can uphold them tomorrow. I'm just borrowing you for the evening, so pipe down. I wouldn't be here if it was an emergency."

"Sinbad," Kale said softly, adjusting his hold on the bag of prince, "guards."

"Act casual."

Two more guards were patrolling down the hall of the building towards them. Sinbad stepped forward officially. "The Prince does not wish to be disturbed. He has taken his meal and will spend the rest of the evening going over the papers for tomorrow's meeting with the Egyptians."

The two true guards both glanced at each other with looks of suspicion. "I don't think – "began one of them.

"Luckily we aren't paid to think, eh?" The pirate interrupted quickly, stepping in closer with a conspiratorial wink. "I just can't wait to get back to Syracuse. It smells better for one thing."

"And the drink is better," added the second guard. The first nodded in begrudging agreement.

"But it's better than being at war. I'd rather be guarding the Prince in times of peace than fighting in the thick of things."

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Sinbad finished amiably. "Back to the rounds!" And with that they were past the guards and out in the open air again.

Proteus remained silent even once the guards had disappeared from view. They ran into the streets of the city, grateful to only be passing by a few wandering men.

"Hey, can he breathe in there?" Dimitri asked as they turned a corner into a completely unlit alley.

"Maybe?"

"Maybe we should let him out now. We're far away enough," he insisted. "Kale can keep him over his shoulder until we get to the docks. We're pretty close to the ship anyway!"

Sinbad sighed as if this idea pained him on a deep and personal level. "I guess we can't do much with a half dead prince. Dump him, Kale."

Kale stifled his laughter and turned the bag upside down, letting Proteus tumble out into the dirt and sand.

The prince gasped, clutching at his chest as he rolled onto his back. The little trip had weakened him, so they were at least safe from having to chase down an escaping prince. "What… is this… about?" Proteus wheezed, glaring at Sinbad underneath his dark brows. "Sinbad… if you're in trouble… get yourself out of it." He shakily got to his knees.

"Am I the type to get in trouble?" The pirate crouched down next to his fallen friend and put on what he probably thought was an innocent expression. The closest it came to was something closer to devious.

"Don't give me that look, Sinbad. I didn't fall for it when we were kids and I certainly won't fall for it now."

Proteus dusted himself off before crossing his arms and countering Sinbad's faux innocence with his very genuine glare. "What is it? Do you need to borrow money? I figured you could just steal off a wealthy merchant if you needed to."

Sinbad didn't both to stand up but instead regarded the prince from down around his waist area. "I'll have you know that I'm not in need of your daddy's pocket change at the moment. My crew and I recently pillaged a nice bit off of Cyprus and it's all going towards my purchase of Fiji."

Kale just shook his head, the prince-stealing bag hanging over his shoulder.

"I thought you were forbidden from returning to Cyprus," Proteus muttered. "What is it you want from me then?"

He glanced at Kale and gave him an imperceptible nod. "I see you still have our faithful first mate by your side. Lord knows how you keep men loyal to you. And…" His eyes rested on the stranger next to him. He was a skinny, pale man, not someone Proteus usually imagined as being part of a pirate crew.

"Hi." Dimitri gave him a small wave. "I'm Dimitri, the new guy."

"I see. I can't say it's exactly a pleasure to meet you under these circumstances, but…" Proteus sighed. "I suppose I'm being roped into something illegal now."

"Would you consider this illegal?" Sinbad looked over at Dimitri. "I like to think of it as a justifiable liberation from the law."

"Hey, I've been making a not-so-honest living for ten years now, I've got no complaints," Dimitri said with a shrug.

"Sinbad." Proteus approached his longtime friend, though his rigid stance and his knitted brows were far from friendly. "Let me go back. I don't know what you had to make this big spectacle for, but I can't help you with whatever it is. I have responsibilities far greater than any you've ever had. I'm trying to prevent a war for goodness' sake!"

With a loud groan Sinbad rocked back onto his heels and stood up. Even the top of his hat only came up to the prince's chin. "And I have responsibilities to keep my crew paid and plans to eventually retire from my dreadful life of crime…" He shook his head in mock sorrow. "We can't all be royalty and rolling in coins as high as our eyeballs, can we?"

"Being royalty does not mean luxuriating all day and having things brought to you, you've never understood that!" Proteus exclaimed.

"It's really not always that great," Dimitri chimed in, "Especially where I'm from, I'll tell you that."

"Well, it's nice to see some of your crew members are reasonable," Proteus said, nodding his head at Dimitri. "So, let me leave now and I might not let slip to the authorities that you're planning something."

"And if you do leave now I'll have to tell everyone in Syracuse about that dancer girl who wasn't a girl. I can't remember - did you find that out before or after you got his pants off?" Sinbad rubbed his goatee and pulled on it contemplatively.

Proteus let out a choked sound, his finger waving menacingly in Sinbad's face. His face turned a bright shade of red as his jaw worked furiously, though no words came out. Dimitri had to stifle his chuckle with a hand tightly pressed to his lips.

"You…" Proteus hissed through tightly clenched teeth. He glanced left and right, as if fearing that eavesdroppers were suddenly lurking at every corner. He stepped forward, almost nose to nose with Sinbad and lowered his voice though it held no lesser degree of hostility. "You said you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"And I won't," Sinbad replied cheerfully, his voice smug. "If you help me out tonight."

"Are you blackmailing me?" Proteus asked incredulously. "Your oldest friend?"

Sinbad slung his arm around Proteus' shoulders, which was quite a feat considering the height difference. "Proteus, you're looking at this all wrong! I'm taking you on an adventure! Breaking you out of those stuffy meetings for an evening. And if it ends with you being ridiculed throughout your entire company and having your dear old dad look at you with complete disappointment? Well, I'm sure we'll laugh about it someday."

Proteus chewed on the inside of his cheek, furiously debating inside his mind. Dimitri glanced at Sinbad, who was looking no less smug than usual, and even he knew what the prince's answer would be before he gave it.

"Alright," he spat out the word almost as if it caused him pain. "But only this one time, Sinbad. And I want your word that you will never, ever talk about that incident again. Are we clear?"

"I promise only as far as six drinks. After that all bets are off."

"He means yes. Absolutely," Dimitri said, poking his head between the two men. "Right, Sinbad?"

Proteus let out a frustrated huff and turned around, putting his hands on his hips. "Well, what is it, then? Are we stealing from the pyramids? A merchant?" He craned his neck to look at Sinbad with narrowed eyes. "You're not stealing from the diplomats we're talking to, are you?"

"Now that you mention it that is a really good idea…"

"SINBAD!"

"I was kidding!" He held up his hands and took a step backwards, bumping right into Kale. The first mate didn't budge. "Look, it's just a little smuggling job. I'm a hand or two short so I figured you'd be the perfect prince to pitch in."

"Smuggling what, exactly?" Proteus asked.

"Yeah, what are we smuggling?" Dimitri turned to Sinbad. "You actually haven't told us yet."

"Oh, so even your crew are unaware of what this job is about but you still went ahead and kidnapped me anyway? You are unbelievable." Proteus rolled his eyes before leaning closer to Dimitri. "I'm not sure how you put up with working for someone like this. If you're looking for something more reliable, I can find some open positions at the Syracusian palace."

Dimitri stroked his chin, considering it. "Well, I have worked in a palace before but I'll have to think about it. Although if you're offering to give me an actual roof over my head, I just might say yes," he chuckled.

"He isn't going with you; quit trying to steal my cabin boy." Sinbad growled at the pair. Behind him Kale's shoulders began to shudder with silent laughter though his face remained impassive. No doubt he'd had years to perfect his technique of keeping a straight face around his flamboyant captain.

"Now if you pair of girls are done gossiping, I think that we have an appointment to keep. Here." He tossed Proteus a small cloth bag. It held a rough tunic and a pair of boots, as well as a head wrap that would help to conceal his distinctly foreign facial features. "Put those on and we'll go."

"What the—" Proteus flinched as the bag was tossed at him. He pulled the clothes out and slid on each article, obviously too tired to argue anymore.

"And where may I ask are we headed?" He asked once he was done and had his old clothes stashed away into the bag.

"To dinner of course, where else?" Sinbad gave them a cocky smile and took off down the road, a familiar swagger in his step.


	52. Chapter 52

They made their way through the dark alleys, retracing their steps from earlier until they found the inconspicuous hole in the wall that led back to Nassor's lair. Sinbad had gone to the front entrance to spend some perfectly innocent time with his sister and her family, while the crew and Proteus had to scramble on all fours through the dark tunnel to wait with the other smugglers.

"Well," Proteus said as he emerged on the other side, "It's not every day that the prince has to sneak through the secret entrance while the pirate gets to walk into a brightly lit room and welcoming arms."

"I'm sure this is a one-time thing." Dimitri grabbed a mug of ale from a man passing through with a tray full of them. He took a swig and let out a satisfactory exhale.

"Come on. Looks like they've got a dice game going on." Kale nodded to the back of the room before going off to join in. Dimitri and Proteus were left standing side by side near the drinking barrels, looking quite out of place amid the rest of the rabble.

"So…" Proteus began, turning towards Dimitri with his hands clasped behind his back. He spoke as smoothly and confidently as any royal he had ever met, and it put him on edge in spite of himself. "How did you find yourself roped into Sinbad's crew?"

Dimitri buried his nose into his ale mug, feeling his stomach sinking. "It's, uh... it's kind of complicated," he said. "No, really," he added when Proteus raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm really far away from home right now and I figured joining a gang of pirates would be the best method of finding my way back."

"Rather than earning an honest living until you can earn your passage back home?" Proteus asked, grabbing a mug of ale from the same man passing through.

"Like I said, it's a bit more complicated than that. And fine, I was sort of forced into joining his crew, but it's not like I didn't work on the other side of the justice line back home anyway."

"Really? You don't look like much of a pirate. Oh!" Proteus choked on his ale and made a face. "Gods, this stuff is foul!"

"Hey, not all of us can afford the good stuff all the time." Dimitri smirked. "So, how is it that someone like you has friends in low places?"

Proteus's lips tightened briefly before he spoke. "You know, I wonder that myself sometimes. Let me start at the beginning…"

It didn't take long before Nassor's men, working on some unseen signal, began to dne their working gear. There were nearly a dozen of them altogether not including the men that Sinbad had brought along. All of them began to gather up small packs and blades were quickly tucked into every fold of fabric or pocket available in their boots and simple workmen's clothes. By the time everyone was ready, they resembled nothing more than a band of workmen on their way home after a long day down at the docks or construction zones. A couple of them even dusted a bit of plaster in their hair to complete the look. These men were smugglers and the contrast between them and the pirates was very apparent.

One of the larger ones, a giant of a man Nassor had called Ubaid when they had last been here, nodded at them. Kale had wandered back over a minute earlier, tucking a bag the jingled cheerfully into his sash.

"Time to go," murmured Ubaid, holding out his hand to Kale who grasped it with a firm hand. "Let there be honor among thieves this evening."

"Yeah," agreed Kale. Jed and Luca finished tucking what looked like cherry bombs into their belt pouches and stepped after Kale, following the band out through a back door and leaving Dimitri and Proteus standing in the abandoned smuggler's den.

"Well, are you ready, your Highness?" Dimitri bowed, gesturing towards the door.

"You can just call me Proteus, you know," the prince replied, though he still walked ahead out the door.

Dimitri straightened and followed after him. "Right. Sorry. Force of habit," he muttered, rubbing his neck.

They joined the rest of the men out the back door and waited for their leaders to arrive.

Sinbad and Nassor stepped out of a backdoor to the building next to the den, accompanied by a wash of candlelight and children's voices. Both of them were laughing and elbowing each other, the picture of close family. As soon as the door shut though both men stepped away and composure dropped over them like a shroud. Now was the time for work.

"We will split into groups of four and travel to the Souq al-Goma holding pens. Sinbad will distract the guards while we gather up the supplies and meet on the eastern edge of the Nile in the palm growth under the sand bank. If you are captured say nothing. You all know your stories and will stick to them. Are we perfectly clear?" The edge to his voice could have cut steel. All of the smugglers nodded in unison.

Sinbad jerked a thumb at his brother-in-law. "What he said."

Dimitri stepped over to Sinbad side, already knowing full well that they were pretty much reluctantly joined at the hip. Proteus also came over, followed by one of Nassor's burlier men.

"Let's just get this over with," Proteus muttered, following after Sinbad through the shadows. They were the first group to go move ahead while the others went down different streets.

"Never stolen livestock before?" Dimitri asked, keeping his voice down to a whisper but walking alongside the prince so that they could better hear each other.

"That's not exactly something royalty should be doing, no. Alas, my hand has been forced." He glared holes at the back of Sinbad's head as he spoke. "What about you, with your criminal experience?"

"Livestock? Nah, not really. Goods and valuable items, forged documents… those are my forte. I'm not really good with animals. Although I did adopt a puppy recently! He's just making a mess on Sinbad's ship at the moment."

Proteus chuckled. "Sinbad let you bring aboard a tiny little fury that can cause havoc on his beloved Chimera? What sort of spell do you have on him?"

They rounded a corner and became engulfed in almost pitch-black darkness. Their steps slowed down to a more careful pace but they never stopped once.

"I think it's more like he didn't want to waste time arguing. Besides, he'll grow to like the little thing eventually," Dimitri said. They continued their amiable whisperings back and forth as they emerged onto a moonlit-filled street. Dimitri was happy to find someone he could get along with outside of the crew. As much as he had issues with royalty, Proteus wasn't half-bad at all.

"Stop flirting back there," Sinbad snapped at them over his shoulder. The captain had his hands buried in his pockets and his hat pushed forward over his brow to help disguise his more Persian features which were obvious even in the dark. His mood was clearly dour because he was kicking most everything that came across his path. Rocks, bits of wood, and one rat which squealed angrily and darted into a hole.

Proteus and Dimitri stopped talking and both turned to look at Sinbad the exact same time.

"I would think you of all people would know what flirting is and that we are definitely not doing it," Proteus said coolly.

"Relax, it's not like we're waking anybody up," Dimitri added. "Geez, what crawled into his hat and died?"

"He's always been like this," Proteus told him with a grin, "Even to this day I don't think any of his crewmembers enjoy being in his presence during one of his mood swings. He's worse than a bull with a thorn in its behind, really."

"Yes! That's a great comparison!" Dimitri snickered and Proteus couldn't help but join.

Sinbad glared daggers at the two of them and again at Nassor's man when he had the gall to chuckle at the pirate's expense. "You can all go take a swim in the Nile for all I care. I have a job to do and you're slowing me down." His soft boots made no noise on the rough road as he picked up his pace, leaving the rest of them several yards behind.

The smelled the market before they saw it. The scent of it carried even without the hot sun to enhance it. Livestock, spices, and the stink of a place that saw countless people every day – it tended to linger after years of saturation. Cattle mooed sleepily from a giant pen set back behind the empty stalls.

Nassor was waiting for them behind a fishmonger's stand judging by the distinctly pungent odor. "Are we all here? Good. Our client has requested goats and whatever young cattle we can manage. I expect each of you to carry your own beast. Sinbad, you go to the front. I saw at least three guards at the gate of the pen. I doubt you'll have any trouble distracting them." Nassor seemed to smile behind his head wrapping.

"Oh no, I'll just strip naked and show them the dance of my damn people," Sinbad snarled before stalking off into the darkness.

"Please keep your garments on for all our sakes," Proteus said flatly to his friend's retreating back.

"Right then. Let's climb over," Nassor declared, wedging his foot on a sturdy board to begin his ascent.

One by one, the men scrambled over the pen and landed with as soft a thump as they could manage on the other side, each taking a moment to stay still so as not to startle the animals. Dimitri was one of the last men to make it over the pen, taking a bit longer than usual. Sure, he was pretty agile but these men probably did this on a daily basis. When he finally landed safely on the damp earth and stood up stall, he looked around and was suddenly flooded with the realization that there were nothing but animals. Live, smelly, spitting, loud animals. And he was supposed to carry one of them.

"Right…" All around him, Dimitri could see the dark silhouettes of men hoisting goats over their shoulders. He saw a cow being hoisted up by the familiar outline of Kale and his eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets as it was gently slung over the man's shoulder as easily as a scarf. "Right. So…"

He crouched down in front of the nearest goat, and gave it a hard stare. "Alright… goat. Time to get moving. Easy now, easy…" He slid his hands underneath the animal's belly and was prepared to hoist it when the goat let out an annoyed bleat and hopped off.

"Hey! Come back here!" Dimitri grabbed at the goat and tried to pull it towards him, but the stubborn thing dug its hooves into the ground and refused to budge.

"Oh come on!" Dimitri released it, intent on finding another goat to harass when something warm and furry was suddenly plopped around his neck and shoulders.

"What the—" He turned his head and was face to face with a smelly goat chewing on a stray piece of grass.

"You looked like you needed help," Kale's low voice said next to him. "Grab a hold of its legs and hold on tight."


	53. Chapter 53

"And then I bought the horse a prostitute!"

The guards stared for a moment, their mouths hanging open and then simultaneously burst into gales laughter, leaning on each other and pounding one another on the back as they struggled for breath. Sinbad straightened his robes and did his best to pretend to be a drunk pretending not to be drunk. It alternately involved standing very still and then somehow managing to lean very far in one direction without falling over.

The moment the guards had spotted him they had raised their swords and warned him away, since this was clearly highly volatile material they were looking after. A sheep had chosen that moment to lean through the wooden fence and start chewing on one of their tunics. But of course, being a sober person pretending to be drunk pretending to be sober, Sinbad had simply wobbled his way over and proceeded to break into a raunchy song about a man with three legs and his very happy wife. Officially labeled 'harmless', the guards had put away their weapons and proceeded to act as though the most notorious pirate in the seven seas was the village idiot.

At least they liked his jokes.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kale drop a goat on his cabin boy and turned his smirk into a hiccup.

Everything was going according to plan.

Back in the pen, Dimitri was struggling to walk while a live animal wriggled over his shoulders and bleating his disapproval.

"Shut up," he hissed at the goat.

"I don't think that's going to work," Kale said to him. "Let's just get them out of here quickly!"

He and the rest of the thieves clambered over the pen, using one hand to hold their charges steady and the other to climb.

"Great," Dimitri muttered. He slowly let go of his softly bleating goat with one hand and climbed over the pen. His balance was wavering dangerously as he neared the top, and he ended up using both hands to make it over to the other side, shrugging his shoulders in an attempt to keep a tighter grip on the goat. The damn thing did not appreciate being squeezed however, and kicked up a fuss violent enough to cause Dimitri to lose his footing.

"Dammit!" he cursed louder than he should have, seconds before he tumbled to the ground. He shut his eyes, waiting for the impact, but was stopped from meeting cold, hard stone by a pair of strong hands against his back.

"That was close! Hold on to your goat now," Kale whispered as he set him back on his feet. He had set the cow down just in time to catch the wobbling cabin boy.

"Yeah, yeah…" Dimitri's fingers closed over his goat's legs once more and he followed after the scurrying thieves who ran deeper into the shadows. "Hey, d'you think I could train Spike to herd these things?" he asked to Kale's retreating back.

"I think you'd have better luck teaching your pup to sing. Come on." A hoof from Kale's cow almost clipped him in the head as the first mate turned around and jogged after the rest of the smugglers. Somehow Sinbad was perched very smartly on the back of the cow and gave Dimitri a mock salute as Kale ran down the street carrying both of them.

"What are you doing up there?" Proteus grumbled from the other side.

The group hurried as quickly as they could on light feet. Save for the inevitable stray bleating (and a particularly loud moo from the cow which had them all freeze into place for a second), they passed through the streets unnoticed. Dimitri had to give these guys credit for their natural ability to blend with the shadows. It was an underappreciated art, he thought. Becoming invisible was what had helped him survive for so many years.

Their good luck ran out however, as the men ahead of the group sharply rounded the corner. Dimitri heard a few thumps and a surprised growl before someone shouted: "THIEVES!"

He strained his neck and saw a group of armed guards brandishing their weapons in the men's faces, while the goats stared off in the distance.

"Scatter!" Roared Nassor. This was no betrayal, this was simply a poorly timed guard change. Sinbad leapt down from Kale's cow with an elaborate backflip and ran, bouncing across the helmets of three of the guards before landing in an alley. He knew that Nassor had done his research, checking and rechecking the patrol schedules. But something had apparently gone wrong because they were here early and now they had a battle on their hands. The pirate cursed, wishing that he'd brought his swords rather than just a knife. A simple blade wouldn't do much against a dozen heavily armored guards like this.

So it seemed that in this case, fleet feet were more preferable than a sword.

"Come on!" He seized Dimitri by his collar and off they ran, pursued by the three guards he'd stepped on while the rest of the smuggler gang quickly broke into pieces and vanished with their own problems right on their heels. Proteus could be seen being dragged off with Nassor and one of his men.

Dimitri could have easily kept up with Sinbad if he didn't have a flailing goat currently kicking up a storm and bleating for all it was worth draped across his shoulders.

"Ow! Stop it!" He yelled uselessly. The goat's incessant cries muffled the chasing guards' footsteps, and Dimitri hadn't realized how close they were until he felt an arm roughly grab him from behind.

"I caught him!" the guard yelled, pulling a struggling Dimitri away.

The goat had visibly had enough of all of these manhandling humans and delivered a swift kick to the guard's eye. He released Dimitri with a howl, clutching at his face and leaving a bewildered cabin boy enough time to make his escape.

"Guess you've got your good moments!" He called to his new companion. The goat snorted in response.

He glanced behind him to see that the other guards were closing in and forced his legs to move faster so he could catch up to Sinbad.

"Hey! Do you have a Plan B or anything? Because I don't think we can lose them at this rate!" he said.

"Yeah, don't die! I like that plan!" Sinbad grabbed a brick edge and used the momentum to swing himself around the corner. He was presented with a dead end and a high wall with a haystack in the base. Before he could backpedal, the guards rounded the corner as well, brandishing their swords in a manner that said they weren't averse to killing them right then and there.

"This might be more interesting than I thought. Put down that goat. Or better yet, throw it at them!" And then Sinbad leapt at the closest guard, brandishing his knife as he tackled the man to the ground.

"And here I thought you'd berate me for losing the goods," Dimitri muttered.

But when one of the guards lunged for him, he reacted instantly and hoisted the goat off his shoulders. He tossed it to the guard, who in his surprise, dropped his sword to catch it. Dimitri took the opportunity to deliver a good punch, his hands moving to catch the goat as his opponent fell over with a grunt.

"Not bad, little guy!" he said before a sharp burning pain sliced across his left thigh. Dimitri cried out and dropped to his knees and pressed a flat palm to the blossoming red stain on his pant leg.

The goat had scampered off in fright, nowhere to be seen. Dimitri looked up with blurry eyes to see another guard leering over him. His sword was stained with blood running along the blade. He tried to leap away, but the agony in his leg made him tumble onto his backside, clutching at the wound so hard that his fingers were digging into his nails. The guard chuckled and raised his sword high to deliver a mortal blow.

"Excuse me." A tap on the shoulder distracted the guard and he turned around in confusion. His two companions lay behind him, either dead or unconscious. It was hard to tell in the low light. "I do believe that's _my_ cabin boy you were about to behead." And then Sinbad hit him in the temple with the handle of his dagger and the guard dropped like a stone.

Dimitri wished he didn't have to owe Sinbad more than once for saving his life. This feeling of gratitude towards the pirate was frankly embarrassing.

"Just in time," he croaked, rather than actually saying "thanks". He'd reserve those for whenever Sinbad saved him from really great peril.

"I can hear the goat. He couldn't have gotten far." Dimitri grit his teeth against the pain, propping himself up on his good leg. The blood from his wound was dripping steadily on the ground; he needed to bind it and fast. "Grab it and go," he said to Sinbad. "Now, before any of the guards still alive wake up!"

"They aren't going anywhere and neither is the goat. Quit worrying so much – it just makes you bleed faster." It was the work of a moment for Sinbad to drag the three guards into the haystack at the end of the alley and dump them into it. A moment of artful arrangement later and it was impossible to tell what sort of grizzly contents the innocent pile was concealing.

While Sinbad took care of the pleasant job of evidence disposal, Dimitri limped his way to the nearest building to slump against the wall. He stretched out his injured leg to assess the damage. His hands were smeared in his own blood, and trembling too if he looked at them long enough. His breathing was labored and unsteady, but Dimitri knew he'd live. Hopefully they didn't have to chop his leg off or anything. Now that he thought about it, how high were his chances of infection?

Another bolt of pain snapped him away from his spiraling thoughts and Dimitri forced himself to concentrate on the here and now. He fumbled with his vest and managed to slip it off before tying it around his wound as tightly as he could, though his shaking hands were making it difficult.

"Really?" Sinbad was back again, standing over him with an expression that managed to be half amused and half condescending.

Dimitri slid his palms flat on the ground to steady himself and narrowed his eyes at Sinbad.

"Could you not right now?" he hissed.

He could hear the light clopping of a small animal making its way over, until something furry was tickling his neck. The goat had apparently come back to check up on him.

"Cut it out," Dimitri said softly, but he had no energy to rebuke the goat.

"Yes, go look after our friends in the hay stack. Beat it!" A quick kick from Sinbad to its fluffy rear had the goat bleating and trotting over to the hay, which it happily started chewing on, apparently unfazed by the brief tussle.

"Now, could I not what?" Asked Sinbad, who looked very pleased with himself as he undid the vest tourniquet and started tugging at the laced tops of Dimitri's now blood-stained pants.

Dimitri let his head droop, his mind too scrambled to give Sinbad the biting retort he so richly deserved. He was vaguely aware of Sinbad's hands fiddling with his hastily tied vest.

"Do you have some hidden medical talents I am unaware of?" he asked in between shallow gasps.

His eyes strayed to where Sinbad was busy fiddling, his mind suddenly clicking on to something.

"Wait a minute…" He hurriedly slid his hands back and forth on the ground to wipe away the worst of the blood and suddenly grabbed on to Sinbad's shoulders. "You do have magical talents," he breathed, "Could I wish to be healed?"

The glare Sinbad gave him would have made a lesser man soil himself. Luckily Dimitri's pants were already ruined so there was no need to worry about that. "Don't even think about it. I'm just going to wrap this up properly so you don't bleed to death on the way back."

"And I'm not going to risk dying from infection and subpar medical attention because you people haven't discovered what bacteria are yet!" Dimitri shot back. He squeezed Sinbad's shoulders, looking at the irate captain in the eyes, said as clearly as he could: "I wish that my wound was completely healed."

"No you don't, I order you - !" It happened like magic. Which, strictly speaking, it was. One moment Dimitri was bleeding out onto the rough cobblestones beneath him and the next the slice in his leg had vanished. In fact, it felt like every single ache, bruise, or twinge he'd gained since conception had vanished along with it. Sinbad sat back on his heels, looking a little bit gray in the low light and oddly silent.

Dimitri breathed a huge sigh of relief, his whole body sagging against the wall. He hadn't felt this good in a long while. His muscles filled with new energy and he ran a hand along his leg. The skin was smooth to the touch, albeit covered in blood.

"Sinbad…?" he said quietly, looking up. The silence from his companion was unnerving. He may have crossed a line, he thought, now that he was out of the throes of pain. The Persian rose to his feet and took a couple wobbly steps away before sagging, his hip propped against the opposite wall.

"Don't talk to me."

Dimitri stood up and walked up behind him. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he fumbled over what to say. "Look, I'm sorry," he said lamely, "I wasn't really thinking, it just happened. Hey," he tapped lightly on the wall. "At least you won't have to carry me back to the hiding place."

"Oh yeah, that makes me feel so much better!" Snapped Sinbad, rounding on him, fury etched in his face. "First you trap me in the fucking statue and then you start using me like a toy because you can't handle a paper cut! I'm the captain here, not you. I talk, you listen. That's how things are and if you don't like it – "

He cut himself off. It wasn't like he could banish Dimitri from his ship after all. The next time he was sucked back into that golden prison they'd be right back at square one. Instead he spun around and slammed his fist into the side of the building, instantly skinning all of his knuckles.

Dimitri flinched but otherwise didn't move. He tried his best to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach and foolishly approached Sinbad, close enough that he was within throttling reach. "I didn't mean to—" He stopped, sighed and tried again. "I told you I would find a way to get you out of that statue and I will. Look Sinbad, I'm sorry, alright? I don't what else I can do right now." He swallowed. Gently, his hand moved to rest on Sinbad's shoulder. "If you want, I can apologize some other way." He chuckled nervously, certain that this was not a good idea. But his body was in full form and, coupled with the adrenaline of the chase, Dimitri couldn't deny that he was feeling rather… energetic.

"Like what?" Sinbad asked, still facing the wall while picking bits of plaster out of the open cuts on his hand. He studiously avoided looking at Dimitri, but that was probably so that he wouldn't be tempted to punch his face instead of the wall again.

"Well…" Dimitri licked his lips, letting his hand drift from Sinbad's shoulder down to his chest. "There are things that can't be said in polite company. We wouldn't want the goat to get any ideas."

He gave Sinbad a tentative grin as his hand flitted from one of Sinbad's pecs to the other. If he could just get Sinbad to work off all of that anger, he might get a lighter chore sentence once they were back on the ship.

"Quit feeling me up like a back alley floozy, I'm mad at you." But he didn't push Dimitri's wandering hands away either. He was shaking in reaction to the fight and the wish, and yet he somehow felt cold on the inside, like a little piece of him was missing and he didn't know how to fill in the hole it had left. He told himself that it was the betrayal he felt when Dimitri had disobeyed him, but since he did that almost constantly, Sinbad was pretty sure that wasn't actually it.

"You're always mad at me," Dimitri murmured before his lips pressed down gently onto Sinbad's neck. He let his hands run down Sinbad's stomach before moving to stroke his hips. All the while, he left a trail of small kisses until he reached Sinbad's ear.

"I'll be surprised the day you actually stop complaining about anything I do," he whispered before giving said ear a small bite.

"I'll stop complaining the day you stop giving me things to complain about," the pirate snapped, refusing to lean back against his taller companion. Desire had begun to pool low in his gut, despite the fact that he knew that this was hardly the time or the place for such things. They could be found out any minute or the guards in the haystack could come to. But perhaps he could tolerate Dimitri's affections for just one more minute before he went back to being furious at him…

"I don't know if I can," Dimitri replied earnestly.

He stepped around so that he was now face to face with Sinbad and continued his ministrations. His hands now slid easily around the pirate's back and he ran his short nails along Sinbad's spine. His mouth meanwhile, was grazing against the other man's beard and his tongue darted out for a little lick every once in a while. Dimitri pressed his body closer, savoring the warmth that Sinbad always seemed to radiate (and he would never admit to enjoying every time they slept close together). It was the sort of warmth that enveloped him and burrowed deep into his bones until all he wanted to do was curl up against it. A warmth that had been lacking throughout most of his life.

As he kissed the corner of Sinbad's mouth, Dimitri's eyes caught sight of the goat trotting closer to them, its round eyes staring back, unblinking. He couldn't help but laugh against Sinbad's cheek.

"Not in front of the children," snorted Sinbad, giving the goat a hard glare. But the moment had been lost and he ducked out of Dimitri's embrace to snatch up their stolen goods. It bleated loudly and then settled back into chewing on the piece of strew that was sticking out of its mouth.

"Come on, we have a rendezvous to get to."


End file.
